In Veritas
by LitLover 101
Summary: Hayley Marshall is an up-and-coming lawyer with Mikaelson & Gerard. With friends coming to her with a family and a criminal case—her work can be overwhelming—leaving her with little time for a social life. Elijah Mikaelson is an A. D. A. whose marriage has fallen apart. When his family needs help and a new criminal case opens: How can he say no? Fate is about to intercede.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The**_ _ **Originals**_ **, all rights to the show belong to Julie Plec and the CW.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. This fic is dedicated to Qwertyismyname who asked me to write this story and the majority of the plot is a joint effort on our part. We hope you like it. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: What Are Friends For?

 _November 29, 2012_

Wind slapped her across the face. What should she expect in the Windy City? Standing on a corner, Hayley Marshall shouldered her briefcase while she waited for the light to change. People surrounded her. Other weary women and men on their way to work during the early morning hours. Winter winds bit through her wool coat.

Hayley shivered as the light changed and she moved quickly before the mob buried her under their heels and loafers. She was buoyed toward the long set of wide stone steps leading up to the thick double oak doors of Mikaelson & Gerard. Her heels bounced up the steps. Her mind completely focused on the possibility of a new case to deal with.

As one of the newest hires at M&G she had a lot work to do to prove herself and to gain the attention of the main partners. Mikael Mikaelson might be her best chance of getting anywhere. Mr. Gerard Sr. made Hayley feel nauseous every time she had to deal with him. His treatment of his younger son, Marcel, and his roving eyes made her nervous.

The lobby of M&G buzzed with the excitement of the first day of a new work week. Hayley walked by the front desk, nodding at Cami O'Connell who nodded back. Cami was always smiling and had a good quip on the tip of her tongue most days. She sat behind her desk, talking rapidly to a client and transferring a call upstairs. Hayley moved to the bank of elevators which always took a little longer than they should, just because it was a Monday.

The elevator's doors slid open and Hayley felt relieved that she could get on, by herself. She needed time to think. Someone had to have a good case that they'd allow her to get in on. Her thoughts were moving rapidly through her head as she tapped the button to the twentieth floor when someone cried out. "Hold the elevator!"

Hayley sighed but dutifully hit the "doors open" button to her right. A swirl of blonde hair and a Chanel suit hopped onto the elevator with a wide smile and a light laugh. "Oh, thank you, Hayley. You are a lifesaver."

Rebekah grinned as she leaned in front of Hayley to hit the "doors close" button. Just as the doors began to shut, a light brown briefcase became lodged in the opening, stopping the doors from closing. "What in the bloody hell?" Rebekah cried, infuriated at the intrusion.

Hayley's lips pursed as Marcel Gerard came into view. He grinned at them. "Ladies. Good morning," he said, lowering his briefcase to his side and stepping onto the elevator. "Are you ready to play co-counsel?" he asked Rebekah.

Stifling a laugh, Hayley peered around Marcel at Rebekah who glared at the elevator doors. "I am looking forward to hearing my brother in action," she snipped.

Marcel looked to Hayley. "She's in love with me."

Rebekah scoffed. "You are _delusional_ , Gerard."

Marcel puckered his lips at her and Rebekah flushed, adjusting her jacket and practically running off the elevator the minute the doors opened. "See you at _noon_." Marcel watched Rebekah running away before turning to find Hayley, shaking her head at him. " _What_?" he asked, waiting for her to lead the way to their side of the floor.

"Nothing," Hayley said, shaking her head.

"It's _something_ ," Marcel said. "I know women. You've all got something on your minds."

Hayley shook her head. "You know that Rebekah does _like_ you. And if you like her back, maybe you should, I don't know, do something _crazy_ : like ask her out for a cup of coffee." Hayley walked up to her office door and turned to look at Marcel who opened the door to his own.

They stood facing each other. " _Right_. Like Rebekah Mikaelson is going to just go for coffee. If I offered to take her out to coffee in Paris, maybe. Here. Not so much. She'll have me spending a week's salary on renting out Wolf Gang Puck's restaurant so we can have a 'private meeting.'"

Hayley rolled her eyes. " _Fine_. Don't ask me for advice again."

Marcel huffed. "I don't believe I did ask you for advice."

"It was _implied_ ," Hayley snapped.

"Have a good day," Marcel told her.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "You, too." Turning around, Hayley started to go inside and then stopped. "You know what?"

"Uh?" Marcel retorted, picking up some mail that had been slid under his door.

"Why don't you just invite her to your office and show her your briefs?" Hayley asked with a wide grin.

For a moment Marcel just stared at Hayley. He suddenly started laughing. "Marshall, you crack me up. Show Rebekah my briefs. I need to tell Klaus that one. Or not." Thinking about it, Marcel stopped smiling. "Yeah. I'm definitely _not_ telling him that one."

"Why not? He's millions of miles away. What's he going to do: have a hit put on you?" Hayley inquired, leaning in the doorway.

"No, he'll tell Kol who will come at me with his baseball bat. Again." Marcel grinned and waved good-bye. "I'll see you later."

"Lunch? Your place or mine?" Hayley asked him.

"The hallway sounds good. Finn will love the idea of specks of food on the carpet." Marcel shook his head.

Hayley began to laugh, imagining Finn Mikaelson's reaction to seeing crumbs on the ten-thousand dollar carpeting, installed last month. She waved good-bye and went into her office. No more than had she closed the door than Aurora de Martel popped her head inside. "Hayley, you've got an _urgent_ call. Line one."

"Aurora, you know you can just use the phone," Hayley informed her new assistant.

Aurora smiled. "Yes, _well_ , I don't like sitting behind the desk _all_ day. It's _boring_." The girl proceeded to enter Hayley's office and to sit down on her couch, checking her pedicure in her peep-toe heels.

Hayley could only gawk at the girl. She hadn't been sure why it was that Aurora had been hired, probably by Gerard Sr., to entertain himself with. In any case, Aurora turned out to be pretty bad at her job. She took extended lunch breaks to go shopping. She flirted with all of the male associates. She had no idea how to take a message and she made Hayley want to hurl her briefcase at her. Aurora's saving grace was that she could be funny. Sometimes.

Picking up her phone, Hayley hit the first line. "Hello. Hayley Marshall," she answered briskly.

"Hay-ley," a muffled sob met her ear.

"Yes?" Hayley thought the voice sounded familiar but the sobbing made it a little hard to be sure.

"It's me." Caroline sounded hysterical.

"Aurora, get out!" Hayley snapped at Aurora who had begun to file her nails.

" _What_? _Why_?" Aurora looked confused.

"Because I am your _boss_ ," Hayley snapped, glaring. "And I am asking you. _Nicely_."

Aurora huffed. "Fine. Can I go out for a brunch break?"

Hayley nodded, turning her chair around to face the window. She had a nice view of Wicker Park from here. "Caroline, what's going on?" she questioned her long-time friend.

Caroline inhaled slowly and then exhaled loudly. "I… Klaus… I…"

"You. Klaus. You," Hayley tried to follow the logic here.

Hayley knew that Caroline and Klaus had been off and on for the past five years. Hayley and Caroline had been college roommates and backpacked through Europe together. There had been a strain on their relationship when she went to law school because Hayley did not have enough time to keep up with her friendships. Since she took the position at M & G and Caroline had moved to Chicago, they made time to have lunch, every two weeks to catch up.

"Klaus knows about Fee," Caroline cried. Closing her eyes, Hayley remembered the day that Caroline had come to their little table for two at The Wormhole Coffee, sporting a few more pounds than usual.

 _June 14, 2009_

"Big lunch?" Hayley had quipped, getting up to hug Caroline.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah. _Real_ big. About three and half months big." Placing her hands over her stomach. It wasn't that noticeable but the two women tended to notice the little things about each other, like when Hayley pierced her ears for the fifth time.

 _February 1, 2004_

"Doesn't that hurt?" Caroline had asked their sophomore year. Staring at Hayley's new dangly hoops.

"Nope," Hayley had said.

 _June 14, 2009_

"Klaus,' _right_?" Hayley had asked as a waitress set another glass of water in front of Caroline's side of the table.

Caroline smiled at the waitress. "Thank you," she said. When the woman left, she picked up the menu, although they'd been here so many times she could recite to the staff what they had to offer. "Yes." Just one word that carried so much meaning.

"Did you tell him?" Hayley asked, feeling concerned about what Caroline's plans were.

"No," Caroline shook her head. "He'd come home and propose. That's _not_ what I want. I don't want to get married like my mom and dad did."

"Caroline, I don't think that Klaus would marry you just because you are pregnant. Not if he didn't want to marry you," Hayley reasoned.

Caroline shook her head. "Can we just not do this? _Please_."

Hayley nodded. "Okay. Sorry."

 _November 29, 2012_

"He knows," Hayley said slowly.

Caroline let out another sob. "Uh-huh."

"And he'd doing _what_?" Hayley knew she was not going to like the answer to this inquiry.

"He's suing me for full-custody. He said I had no right to keep his daughter from him. He had the nerve to accuse me of being a _bad_ parent. _Me_! I'm the one who has been loving her and caring for her. He doesn't know what her favorite color is or that she likes Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and she watches Sesame Street in her Dora the Explorer PJs. Oh, God, Hayley, what if he takes her away from me?" Caroline's sobs increased in volume, "I can't breathe, Hales, _I_ _can't_ _breathe_."

"Care, slow down. Breathe in for me," Hayley sucked in a deep breath. "And _out_. Like in Lamaze. _Remember_?"

"Like when the poor instructor thought we were a couple and everyone kept being overly nice to the pretty lesbians?" Caroline joked. "Oh, my God!"

"Yeah. Like that. And you know that we would make a _great_ couple," Hayley teased Caroline who laughed. "To hell with guys."

After a long moment, Caroline calmed down. "Can you help me?"

Hayley's eyes moved over to the trees in the park. There was a bird that flew from one to the other. "I don't know, Care. I'm trying to get into criminal proceedings. If I start working family law, they might try to keep me there."

"With the mommies and babies. I know, I get it, Hales. _Please_ , I need you. You _know_ me. You know I am a _great_ mom to Fiona. I need an advocate that I can _trust_ ," Caroline pleaded.

Hayley could see the puppy dog eyes now. She could also see Klaus' death glare from the other side of the courtroom. Then she thought of Fiona who at three was still a baby to Caroline and Hayley. "Yeah. Okay. _Yes_. I'll help you."

"Thank you. Thank you. _Thank_ _you_!" Caroline squealed.

"Thank me when we win," Hayley replied.

"I will. I will take you on an all-expenses paid vacation to wherever you want," Caroline cried happily.

Grinning, Hayley imagined the two of them laid out on a pair of deck chairs on an Italian beach or standing at the bottom of Big Ben. It would be like old times. If only she didn't have so much work to do.

"I'll let you know if my schedule loosens up sometime between now and never o'clock," Hayley replied.

"When did you want me to drop by?" Caroline asked.

"Hmm… Hold on," Hayley spun around in her chair and she turned on her computer. Finding her calendar, she found a two hour slot, two days from then. "How about December 1st at 11:30 a.m.?"

" _Perfect_ ," Caroline replied. "I will see you then."

"Bye. And try to not let Klaus get under your skin," Hayley advised.

"He _lives_ there," Caroline retorted. "Bye."

The line clicked and Hayley sighed. Looks like she had her work cut out for her.

"Ready for lunch?" Marcel asked, popping his head into her office. "The carpet is looking pretty nice today."

"Let's just go into your office," Hayley said, closing a book on family law and getting up.

"Got anything interesting?" Marcel asked her.

"Just a custody battle," Hayley said.

"Forbes vs. Mikaelson?" His quick response made Hayley frown.

Marcel's eyebrow rose. "Sorry."

"Who told you?" Hayley demanded.

"Rory," Marcel said with a grin.

Hayley gritted her teeth. "I'm going to kill that little blabber mouth."

"Please, _don't_. She makes the day go a little quicker with Rebekah blowing me off all the damned time." Marcel set a bag down on his desk and began to pull out sandwiches.

"Please, do _not_ tell you are sleeping with Aurora," Hayley snapped. "I don't think we can still be friends if that's your taste level."

"Nope. I _just_ like to look. And she likes to flirt," Marcel said, handing her a tuna on rye.

"Men," Hayley grumbled.

"You should get laid," Marcel told her.

Hayley had just taken a large bite of her lunch and choked at his words. "Excuse me!" she said, holding a napkin in front of her mouth.

Marcel grinned at her, before reaching into his mini fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. She took it, glaring at him as he sat down across from her. "I'm just saying. You _never_ get out. You're moody as all hell. You _need_ to get laid, Hayley."

"You first," Hayley snapped, taking another healthy bite of her sandwich.

Marcel rolled his eyes. "I'm _trying_ ," he grumbled, taking a bite of his turkey club. "I'm thinking about that whole showing Bekah my briefs thing you suggested."

Hayley choked again. " _Seriously_?"

" _Not_ those," Marcel rolled his eyes and laughed. "I meant my _legal_ briefs. Get her in late and we're getting all worked up about the case, I crack open a bottle of wine, maybe turn on some mood music. Let things go where they go."

Shaking her head, Hayley rolled her eyes. "You're going to get fired by Mikael."

"But it will be worth it," Marcel said with a wide grin.

Hayley set her sandwich aside as laughter bubbled up her throat. Marcel laughed with her. After a couple of minutes they settled into a comfortable silence. This is why Hayley loved to hang out with Marcel, it was just so uncomplicated and how many times could you say that about hanging out with a guy?

A knock sounded at the door and Aurora popped her head inside. "Hayley, Mr. Mikaelson wants to see you," she said soberly. She looked a little pale.

"O-kay." Hayley looked to Marcel whose eyebrows had risen. "Thanks for lunch. I'll see you later." Marcel nodded and Hayley picked up her sandwich wrapped and tossed into the trash before depositing the water bottle into the recyclables container.

Aurora led the way out into the hall. Hayley peered at the lights in the ceiling. Had it just gotten darker in here or was her mind playing tricks on her?

They arrived at the elevators. Aurora punched the button for the one going up and stood, her foot jiggling, her eyes flicking up to the numbers popping up above their heads. Her lips were pursed into a little O. Hayley wished that Aurora would cut down on the drama. Hayley felt nervous enough. She didn't need Aurora adding to her sense of unease.

When the doors opened, a floor of lawyers and legal aides spilled outward, into the hall, passing around Hayley and Aurora. The two women stepped onto the elevator. Hayley felt like telling Aurora that she did not need to deliver Hayley to Mikael's doorstep like the morning paper but bit her tongue.

Aurora stabbed at the button to the thirty-fifth floor before clasping her hands in front of her and staring at the numbers in numb silence. The only person that seemed to scare everyone in the entire firm was Mikael. Hayley had heard that Klaus could have been an equally impressive tyrant, if he did not want to be an artist and if Mikael hadn't treated him like an unwanted family pet.

A tiny bell dinged and Hayley frowned as the doors slid opened. They had arrived. Aurora stepped off first, leaving Hayley to follow her. A short walk down a wide hallway found them standing outside of the double doors of Mikael's office. Aya, Mikael's assistant's, eyebrows rose and something resembling a smile quirked at the corners of her lips.

"Hayley, he's been expecting you," Aya said. She pushed her chair back, standing to reveal a perfectly tailored suit that made her look like a fashion model and gave Hayley another one of those mysterious, little smirking-smiles.

Aurora did not move a muscle, seeming to have become paralyzed as Aya set that smirk on her, the younger assistant. Hayley followed Aya to the door. Aya lifted her hand, curling her fingers into a ball and rapped: once, twice and a third time.

Mikael's voice sounded through the think wood. "Come in," he called. His tone was brisk and his voice carried through the area.

Aya opened the left door, slipping inside. "Hayley Marshall is here, sir," she told Mikael.

"Thank you, Aya. That will be all for now." Mikael said, standing up.

Aya smirked at Hayley and Hayley stepped into the office. She heard the doors close behind her. Inside the lion's den, Hayley thought, not for the first time.

Mikael smiled at her which did not set her at ease. "I hear you have a new case."

"Yes," Hayley replied.

"And you intend to win. For your friend, yes?" Mikael asked her with a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

Hayley forced herself to smile in return. "Yes, for my friend."

"And for the firm," Mikael added, picking up a letter opener and twirling it atop the desk top.

Hayley watched the letter opened spin before she forced her eyes to meet Mikael's. "Yes."

"Good." Mikael smiled widely. "I knew you were the right pick for this place. You're a shark, Marshall, now go swim with the fish."

"Yes, sir," Hayley nodded and turned, opening the door and stopping to close it behind her.

Aurora led her back to the elevator but did not speak until they were going down. "How did it go?" she asked.

"Fine, "Hayley replied.

Aurora sighed and grinned. "I thought you would be fired. Couldn't tell my father I got sacked for the fifth time in a year."

Hayley rolled her eyes and followed her assistant back onto their floor. She'd lied to Mikael. Helping Caroline had nothing to do with this firm and she hated that she was now caught up in another one of Mikael's plots to make Klaus miserable. It was the job. Or so she told herself. She just hoped that Klaus found himself a good lawyer, to make it a fair fight.

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter because there is quite a bit more to come.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. We've got a lot of Mikaelson family business in this chapter. We will see some Haylijah interaction in the next chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: For My Brother, Anything

Drumming his fingers atop his desktop, the glare of the computer's screen made his eyes sore. Elijah closed the laptop and rolled his head from side to side. His neck had become increasingly sore from all this dreadful time spent staring into the bright light, artificially emitted from the computer. He wanted to sleep but knew that sleep would not come.

Elijah knew that the last time he'd truly slept was three year ago when he was still under the impression that he and Katherine could make their little life work. A bottle of fine wine, a slow dance in front of the fire place, a decent babysitter for Nadia, and the maddening feeling of his wife's fingers in his hair.

Yes. That was a different life. No less complicated than this one. However, it had had the deceptive nature of making Elijah belief it so.

Sighing, Elijah got to his feet, rubbing at his lower back. His doorbell rang and his eyes moved to the buzzer. What if he were to ignore it? Allow his late night caller to believe that he'd gone out or was in bed.

The doorbell went off again and again and again. Elijah felt his nerves fray just a tiny bit more. Stalking over to the intercom, he paused, collecting himself before answering with a polite. "Yes?"

"Let me in, brother!" Niklaus cried. His words had a familiar thickness.

Elijah sighed before pressing a button to allow his brother's entrance. Going to the door, Elijah opened it to find Klaus stumbling into his apartment, fingers curled around a bottle of wine as if he might strangle it.

"She's done it, brother!" Klaus shouted, whirling on his heel to point his index finger at Elijah, bottle shaking precariously in his trembling hand.

Elijah felt confused. "She _who_ , brother?"

Klaus let out a bitter laugh. "That new bitch of Father's," he said, bitterly, moving over to collapse on a couch, his body reclining deep into the cushions, the bottle grazing the wood floor.

Elijah strode over, his left hand sliding into his pocket as he casually took hold of the bottle, removing it from his brother's clutches. Klaus did not seem to notice, his arm falling over his eyes. "They are worthless…" he moaned.

" _Who_?" Elijah inquired, taking the bottle and draining it, watching the red of the wine discolor the silver of the sink basin before he poured water after it.

Klaus let out a groan of impatience. "Can't you keep up? This is _almost_ as bad as talking to Kol! Women! _All_ them! They are a cursed lot!"

"Do you _really_ believe that?" Elijah asked, coming over to stand over Klaus, folding his arms over his chest.

Klaus pulled his arm back, staring warily up at Elijah. "Yes." His tone did not reassure Elijah of his belief.

Elijah smiled down at Klaus. "Well then, you must be better off _without_ your daughter. I can go back to my own work."

"No!" Klaus cried as Elijah turned his back on him. Elijah glanced back as Klaus moved to his feet, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Elijah, I _need_ my child," he said, looking from Elijah to the space behind him. The alcohol had done its job, making it all that much harder for Klaus to focus on the topic at hand. Finally grasping what he wanted to say, Klaus looked Elijah in the eye. "She needs me. She needs me to _protect_ her."

"And you believe that Caroline will _not_ be able to protect the child, as you would?" Elijah watched Klaus' lips open to emit a reply as his eyes clouded over.

Removing his hand, Klaus moved back to the couch, sitting down, and placing his head in his hands. Klaus' insecurity became clear as he looked to the floor for a better answer than whatever was running through his mind.

Elijah sat down beside Klaus. "Niklaus, you must understand that it is not _I who_ will be judging you as a parent. It is the _judge_. You must be prepared for whatever they might ask of you. If they ask why you believe yourself to be better equipped to handle the needs of the girl than Caroline, you _must_ have an answer."

"I've _never_ even met her," Klaus breathed, his eyes filling with tears, his breathing becoming shallow. "Caroline has yet to allow me the courtesy of an introduction."

"Perhaps if you had not called her a 'lying whore' the last time you spoke," Elijah replied.

That had been a terrible day for all of them.

 _Klaus had called Elijah to let him know that he was on his way back from Syria and wanted to meet for a cup of coffee. Elijah suggested they meet a half-block from the District Attorney's Office, where he'd been working for the past year._

 _When Elijah arrived, he walked in, spotted Klaus already seated, and sipping from a steaming mug of black coffee. His brother's sketch pad lay across his knee as a pencil drifted over the paper. His brother did not seem to notice him._

 _Elijah strolled over with a smile. "Klaus," he greeted his younger brother._

 _Klaus' lips moved into a smirk as he completed his work and set it aside. He stood and walked around the table to embrace Elijah. "How is Nadia?" Klaus asked, patting Elijah on the back._

" _She's nine and quite enthralled with motion pictures. It seems she wants to be an actress. Another artist in our family." Elijah joked with a smile. The thought of his daughter's warm smile felt like a knife slicing through his heart._

 _Katherine said it was best if Elijah did not come to see Nadia as much. "She needs to adjust, Elijah. She can't do that when Daddy's here, all the time."_

" _I'm happy for you, brother," Klaus said, taking a seat and closing his sketch pad._

 _Elijah saw a brief glimpse of a familiar face under a bright sun. "Caroline?" Elijah murmured._

 _Klaus' eyebrows rose, a smirk forming on his lips. "She can't still be angry with me for leaving. I've been doing work that others refuse to. Telling people what is really happening. She should try to live in the world, not in her own little bubble. It makes us more humble."_

" _You? Humble?" Elijah scoffed with a smile to soften the blow._

 _Klaus shrugged. "A bit. When do I get to see my darling niece?" he asked._

" _Oh. About that," Elijah said. He started to speak when his phone drew his attention, jiggling in his pocket. Katherine's name stood out on the blue of his screen, in large white script. "A moment," he said, holding up a finger to Klaus whose brow rose._

 _Hitting the answer button, Elijah forced himself to stay calm. "Katherine, what an unexpected surprise."_

" _Elijah," Katherine paused. "We can't have dinner this weekend."_

" _Why?" Elijah asked, frowning. Klaus stared at him, waiting to catch his eye._

 _Elijah forced a smile. "I'm going to order a cup of coffee," he told Klaus._

" _What?" Katherine seemed confused._

" _Niklaus is with me," Elijah explained, getting up and moving to stand in a long line._

" _Oh. He's back. Already." Katherine's tone was dull._

" _Already?" Elijah felt wary._

" _I just thought he might stay for the whole war," Katherine retorted sharply._

 _Elijah rolled his eyes and adjusted his tie, moving as others moved in front of him. "He didn't. Now, why can we not have dinner?"_

" _Nadia has a play date," Katherine replied._

" _But we already set this date, weeks ago." Elijah felt his head begin to ache._

" _She's a child. She needs to be around other kids." Katherine paused. "And I'm thinking about moving."_

" _Where?" Elijah snapped._

" _Back home." Katherine replied._

" _To Virginia?" Elijah stepped up to the counter. "One large, black coffee. Thank you." Stepping to the side, Elijah took the coffee that a young woman handed him and nodded before turning back around._

" _Or California," Katherine continued. "It would be better for Nadia's acting career."_

" _What acting career?" Elijah snapped, losing his control. "She's nine!"_

" _She can do some commercials. Maybe booking a modeling gig," Katherine snapped back. "You should try being supportive of her ambitions."_

 _Elijah closed his eyes. Like he had not been of hers, is what Katherine meant. His eyes opened and Elijah took in the sight of Klaus' empty chair. Peering around the shop, he registered Katherine's continual chatter, sounding in his ear when he spotted Klaus._

 _Klaus stood, just outside the shop, his hands in the air as he shouted at the woman in front of him. Elijah moved toward the door, dodging past people. "Katherine, I need to go," he said, hanging up on his ex-wife._

 _The sound of his brother's ire pricked Elijah's ears as he walked out the door. "Caroline, what in the bloody hell are you trying to tell me?" Klaus fumed._

 _Caroline glared at Klaus. "Are you done? Do you think that you could, I don't know, get some counseling for that temper of yours?" Her body trembled as she spoke._

" _Brother –" Elijah began placing a hand on Klaus' shoulder._

 _Klaus jerked away from him. Stepping closer to Caroline, he was seething. "I do hope that you are marvelously happy with him!"_

 _Caroline's whole body tensed and she reached out and slapped Klaus. "You left me! You left! I had a right to move on! With whoever the hell I pleased!"_

 _Klaus' head moved back, his eyes burning with a dangerous intensity. Grabbing Caroline, he held onto her tightly. "You are a lying whore and I hope you burn in hell!" he seethed before he let go of her and stomped off._

 _Elijah stood, torn between following his brother and speaking to Caroline. Caroline began to cry, her sobs racking her body. "Caroline," Elijah began when she turned and hurried away._

 _Elijah's eyes followed the blonde down the street, to the corner where she stopped. A tall, brunette, a friend of hers, Hayley, Elijah thought that was her name, held out a small child with a wild mane of blonde curls. The child wrapped her arms around Caroline's neck. That explained Caroline's loose clothing the Christmas after Niklaus' left and her hurry to get away from Elijah._

 _Turning, Elijah followed his brother, determined to allow Caroline the time to adjust to Niklaus' return before dropping the bomb of his brother's fatherhood on him._

Niklaus glanced at Elijah. His cheeks turning a light red hue. "She _did_ lie. She lied about moving on with that fool. _Then_ she lied about having my child." He grimaced, running a hand over his eyes.

"She did _not_ lie about the child. She simply choose to not tell you. And can you _truly_ blame her, given what you said to her that day?" Elijah reasoned, getting to his feet and walking over to the refrigerator. He removed a bottle of water and brought it to Klaus.

Klaus accepted the bottle without a word, holding it between his hands. "I do not know." He looked lost.

Elijah wanted to help Klaus. He would help him as much as he could, as much as the law allowed him to. "What is it that Caroline's attorney's done?"

"She filed a restraining order," Klaus mumbled, glaring at the floor.

"On what grounds," Elijah inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

Sighing, Klaus turned and gave him a rueful smile. "I might have dropped by Caroline's, for a chat, unannounced, and ended it with screaming and throwing a lamp."

"Brother," Elijah groaned. "When will you learn that threatening people will get you nowhere?"

Klaus laughed. "Not all of us can be as tightly wound as you, dear brother. Then there is Finn, who is a lost cause to the human race."

Elijah chuckled. "We're having a family dinner this Sunday; you're welcome to join us."

" _Family_? Are you sure I can be included in that term?" Klaus asked bitterly.

Before he could answer, Elijah's phone rang and he removed it from his pocket. "Sister," he greeted Freya warmly, putting his phone on speaker.

"Brother," Freya replied and he could see her smile. "Have you seen Niklaus yet? He called but I was at a grocery store, picking up some things for dinner."

"Ah, so is that why you did _not_ return my call?" Niklaus grinned at Elijah.

Freya let out a chuckle. "I should have known you would go to Elijah when you couldn't find me. What is it that Rebekah could not deal with and Kol would have taken you out to a bar over?"

Klaus stared at Elijah for a moment before replying. "I have a child."

Freya did not speak for a long moment. "You do," she replied.

" _You_ _knew_?" Klaus demanded, standing up and glaring at the phone.

"Yes." Freya paused. "Caroline came to me after she found out. She was distraught and afraid. She did not know how you might react. She wanted support from someone who might understand."

"Support? _You're_ _supporting_ _her_?" Klaus shouted.

Freya was silent. Elijah got to his feet and Klaus began to pace. This was not a good sign. Elijah wondered why Freya had not told him that Caroline had come to her. They could have dealt with this matter, as a family, before the courts became involved. However, for the sake of peace within his family, he did not speak up.

"You knew of my child and did not bother to tell me!" Klaus shouted into the phone. "Freya… Blasted hell!" Stomping across the room, Klaus ripped open Elijah's liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, his hands shaking as he began to open it.

"Brother… Klaus… I wanted to help her. You do not know what it is like for a woman, on her own…" Freya called.

Klaus dropped the bottle and Elijah closed his eyes as the sound of Klaus' pounding his fists on the kitchen counter filled the room. "Do not presume to tell me what I can and can _not_ understand!" Klaus shouted, his fists still pounding.

"Freya, perhaps we should speak again tomorrow," Elijah suggested, hanging up before she could protest. Walking across the room, Elijah examined the shards of glass and the pool of liquor on the floor.

Klaus continued to beat the counter as tears ran down his cheeks. His entire face was taut with his rage. "I can not. I will not allow her to take the child from me," Klaus said, his eyes moving to Elijah's.

In that moment, Klaus reminded Elijah of a wild animal, caught in a trap, willing to do anything to release itself. "I know," Elijah said, taking Klaus by the shoulders and turning him away from the counter. "You should go to bed. I will clean this up."

Nodding, Klaus allowed Elijah to lead him into the guest bedroom and laid down on his back. "She needs me, Elijah. My little girl. She does not know it but she needs me. I can protect her from the horrors of the world. Caroline has no clue what man can do one another. She did not see… She… She did not see the _things_ that I have seen. She _mustn't_. I need to protect them…" Klaus mumbled, closing his eyes. "I have to protect them..."

Elijah turned, striding to the door and pulling it closed behind him. He entered the kitchen, his eyes on the broken bottle. A wonderful symbol of his life: shattered to bits. Beyond repair. Elijah moved to a closet, removing a broom and dust pan. He was used to this. Cleaning up after his siblings. It gave him something to do, something to concentrate on, a way to not look inward and to examine what seemed to be missing.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: So do I and I thank Qwertyismyname for the idea.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's time for Haylijah to meet. Yay! #HaylijahShippersDon'tGiveUp On with the show…**

Chapter 3: Mind Games

 _December 1, 2012_

Her eyes were burning. Lids trembling. Lips moving, silent words stuck in her throat. Hayley felt waves of a newborn headache, kicking its tiny feet against her temples, screaming for her undivided attention. Her phone rang and she looked at it. It looked like a small, black blob of plastic. The sound it elicited sent her trembling fingers to her temples.

"Hello?" Hayley said quietly.

"Hayley, I have an Elijah Mikaelson here," Aurora called into the phone cheerfully.

And now the headache had grown into a group of teenagers, starting a grunge band, with an electric guitar and drums. "Oh, dear God," Hayley moaned.

"No, _Elijah_ _Mikaelson_ ," Aurora repeated herself.

Hayley let out a sigh. "Yes, Aurora, I know that. Send him in." Forcing herself to stand up, Hayley walked around, to the front of her desk and waited.

Elijah came into her office in his ever-present, crisp, tailored suit. "Ms. Marshall," he greeted her with a smile that most women probably found disarming. Not Hayley, she knew that he meant to set her at ease before tearing through her like a shark with his chum.

"Mr. Mikaelson," Hayley replied, crossing the room and holding out her hand to him. He took her hand and shook it with another one of those smiles. "What can I do for you?" Hayley asked him, all business as she walked back around her desk and took a seat.

Elijah pulled out a chair in front of her desk. He took his dear sweet time. Yup. He meant to make her uneasy by changing the dynamic. Her space needed to suit his comfort. They would talk once he was ready to. This meeting started because he willed it into being—instead of making an appointment—like anyone else would have.

After he sat down, Elijah took the time to sit his briefcase down and to unbutton his jacket, his eyes on Hayley. She could tell he was accessing her: gauging her age, her posture, how she decorated the office. Every little thing could become a tool to ruin her case.

Another smile appeared on Elijah's face as he looked around the room. "This used to be my office. I suppose that no one told you that I used to work here. Did they?"

"Rebekah did," Hayley retorted so quickly that Elijah's eyes snapped from the wall to the left of her to look her directly in the eye.

" _My_ _sister_?" Elijah's smile changed just so slightly that most people would not notice. A tiny flash of warmth appearing under that seasoned professional exterior. "How is Rebekah? We do not see nearly as much of each other as we should."

Hayley folded her hands on her desk top. "Rebekah's fine. If Marcel would stop chasing her around the office—she might get some real work done—other than that, she's great." Letting out a laugh, Hayley titled her head to the side, allowing her eyelashes to lower. "So, tell me, Elijah, what is it that you're _really_ doing here since I know you're not here to talk about your family?"

Chuckling, Elijah nodded. "You are right. As much as I love my family—business must come first." He opened his briefcase and withdrew a folder. "It looks as if my client, Niklaus Mikelson, is suing your client, Caroline Forbes, for custody of a minor child, Fiona Forbes. _Yes_?" Closing the folder, Elijah laid it on his knee, his fingers tapping the top of the folder.

A smile appeared on Hayley's face. "And this case has _nothing_ to do with family?" she quipped.

"Klaus is my brother, as you know," Elijah replied calmly. His fingers continued their rhythmic tapping. Hayley knew that Elijah had a million little ways of causing opposing counsel to become distracted. She would not allow him to throw her off her game.

Elijah continued to speak while Hayley sat, the headache making her want to slink under the desk and hold her head in her hands. "And Caroline is your friend. I suppose that means that this case is personal, for both of us." He paused, still watching Hayley. "Have you met with your client yet?"

Hayley looked at the clock. "Caroline is due to come in, an hour from now."

"Good." Elijah nodded. "Did she tell you that she had _not_ informed Klaus of her pregnancy?"

Hayley nodded. "Yes."

Elijah stopped tapping his folder. "And how long did _you_ know about the child, Hayley?"

"How is that _relevant_?" Hayley replied slowly, watching Elijah watching her. She could tell he wanted some piece of information and believed she was a weak link who would offer it to him.

"I'm not sure that it is. I'm curious. After all, the child shares my blood, and, still, _you_ , a _friend_ of the mother, seemed to have knowledge of the child's existence before any member of her paternal _family_ did. Does that not strike you as odd?" Elijah's eyes bore into hers and Hayley felt frozen to her seat. Damn, he was good. He meant to make her question Caroline's decisions and judgment when it came to Fee. If he could do this to Hayley, what could he do in the middle of a custody hearing?

"Elijah, why don't you ask me a point blank question?" Hayley retorted with a smile.

Elijah nodded. "Alright. Why, do you believe, Caroline choose to tell you about her pregnancy and not the father of her child?"

"At the time that Caroline found out she was pregnant, your brother was not in the country, and she had no way of contacting him." Hayley picked up her phone. "If you'll give me one minute." She held up a finger. "Aurora, can you bring me a cup of coffee?" Placing her hand over the speaker; she looked at Elijah. "Would you like anything?"

Elijah shook his head. "No, thank you." Crossing his legs, he set his folder on her desk. Hayley's eyes moved to the folder. She could tell that he did this on purpose. Of course she wanted to grab the thing and search it for anything that might help her win the case which is exactly why Elijah placed it there, as bait.

"Thank you, Aurora," Hayley said, hanging up. "Where were we?" she inquired like she didn't remember exactly what Elijah had been up to.

"We were discussing why Caroline told you about Fiona and not Niklaus. You said that it was because Caroline had no way of contacting Niklaus? And this is correct to the best of your knowledge?" Again, his eyes bore into Hayley's and she felt the urge to squirm under the intensity of his gaze.

"Yes," Hayley replied, sitting back and waiting for Aurora.

" _Right_." Elijah picked up his folder and began to move pages around that Hayley could not see. "And would you say that she would be able to contact any other members of Klaus' family to find possible contact information, is that correct?" Again, the folder closed. Again, it moved to his knee. Again, his fingers began to tap the manila colored paper.

The question left Hayley's mind reeling. Damn it. Had Caroline tried to contact anyone in Klaus' family? Damn it. She would have to add that to her list of questions to ask Caroline. "I have _no_ idea if Caroline attempted to contact anyone in your family."

Nodding, Elijah's fingers paused before drumming along again. Hayley could feel a spike of pain shoot through her left temple. A groan escaped her lips. Her eyes closed. "Are you alright?" Elijah asked her. She opened her eyes to find him, leaned over her desk, his hand moving to lay on top of her folded hands. " _Hayley_?"

"I…" Hayley began when the door to her office opened and Aurora came inside.

Taking a step backward, away from her desk, Elijah slid his right hand into his pocket, his body pivoting to the side so Aurora could move around him. "Your coffee," she announced with a wide, perky smile. "Did you need anything, Mr. Mikaelson?" she inquired, turning to smile up at Elijah.

"I am fine. Thank you." Elijah watched Hayley pick up the coffee cup with both hands. She blew on the steam and took a slow sip. "I should be going. I will call and make an appointment for a deposition," he added.

"Okay," Hayley said before taking another sip of her coffee.

For some reason, Elijah did not move to leave the room. Aurora looked from him to Hayley. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at my desk," she said perkily.

Once the door shut; Elijah spoke up. "Are you sure that you are alright?" he questioned her.

Hayley nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you for the concern."

His eyes dropped to the floor. "Thank you for taking the time to talk with me," he said softly. He walked over to the door and opened it.

Hayley's gaze moved to the desk top. " _Wait_! You forgot your folder!" she cried, picking it up from its place on the edge of her desk.

"Keep it," Elijah replied, offering another smile before he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Sitting back down; Hayley frowned. She felt confused. Why did Elijah want her to have a copy of his work? Was he trying to help her? That did not make any sense. Opening the folder, Hayley fell back in her seat. "You jerk," she groaned, pulling out blank page after blank page. She would laugh but it would make her headache worse.

Hayley got up and walked out of her office. "Aurora," she called.

Aurora's head popped up from the fashion magazine she'd been reading. "Yes, Hayley."

"Can you go to the shop downstairs and grab me a bottle of Advil. I have a killer headache," Hayley said, placing her hand to the side of her head.

"Yes. Is there anything else you need?" Aurora asked.

"Nope," Hayley shook her head and walked back into her office. She had all of fifteen minutes to get ready before Caroline was due.

As if giving her time to breathe would be too much for the universe; a knock sounded at the door. " _Seriously_!" Hayley sighed. "Come in," she called warily.

"Hales? It's me," Caroline said, walking in. "I'm sorry, Fi caught a cold, and I had no time to find a babysitter." Her words came tumbling out as she came in with a large bag over one shoulder and a small child with a red nose and droopy eyelids. "I hope this is okay."

"Its fine," Hayley assured her.

Caroline let out sigh of relief. " _Okay_. _So_ … I have _no_ idea what we're doing here."

"I'm going to ask you some questions," Hayley began before she looked at Fiona who looked miserable. "But before I do that, I think we should wait for my assistant to get back."

Nodding, Caroline rubbed her daughter's back who let out a loud cough. "Mommy, I don't feel _good_ ," Fiona moaned, squirming around in Caroline's lap and then she sneezed. " _I_ _want_ _to_ _go_ _home_!"

Aurora came in with the bottle of Advil. "Here is your medication. Oh, what a pretty little girl," she said before getting a good look at Fiona and taking a huge step back. "Is there anything else that you need?" she asked Hayley, her body edging toward the door.

" _Yes_. Can you take Caroline's daughter? Just for, like, half an hour. We _really_ need to get these questions answered and you know little people have big ears." Hayley gave Aurora a pleading look.

" _Must_ _I_?" Aurora blurted. Caroline pinned her with a glare, her eyes narrowing and her arms tightening around her child. "I really should be going on lunch break…" Aurora looked like she might run through the door to get out of the room.

Gritting her teeth, Hayley got to her feet. "You know what, Aurora, go ahead. Take the rest of the day off."

Aurora's eyes widened. " _Really_? Thank you."

"And _don't_ come back," Hayley snapped, stalking over to the door and opening it.

Aurora's shoulders slumped. "Oh, I didn't mean it like _that_. Hayley, _please_. I _love_ sick children. You know that _I_ was awfully sickly growing up. My brother used to care for me _all_ the time," Aurora pressed her hands together. " _Please_!"

Hayley shook her head, looking across the hall as the door opened. Marcel was just finishing up with a client. "Hey, do you have a minute?" she asked him.

Marcel's eyebrows rose. "Yeah. What's up?" he asked, walking over to Hayley's office. He looked around at Aurora, Caroline and Fiona. "Hey there," he greeted Caroline and Fiona.

"Hi," Caroline replied, rubbing Fiona's back. Fiona looked up at Marcel through wide, red-rimmed eyes. She placed her thumb in her mouth and began to suck at it

"Caroline Forbes, Marcel Gerard. Marcel, Caroline. Marcel is a good friend of mine and he is absolutely _the_ _best_ with kids." Hayley said, patting Marcel on the shoulder.

" _I_ _am_?" Marcel looked at Hayley. "You're right. I am great with kids." He went over and kneeled in front of Caroline and Fiona. "How about you, Rory and I find some paper dolls to play with. Kids still like that stuff?" he looked at Caroline who nodded. "Cool."

"The shop doesn't sell paper dolls," Aurora pointed out before closing her mouth when three adults glared at her.

"We can always make our own. We'll just cut out some of those models from your mags and some dresses and mix and match," Marcel informed Aurora who pursed her lips. She looked like she wanted to object but she caught Hayley giving her a hard look.

" _Right_. _Of_ _course_. _Sounds_ _delightful_. Come along, little lamb." Aurora offered Fiona her hand.

Fiona let out a whimper and buried her mass of honey blonde curls into her mother's chest. "No!" she cried out.

"Baby, it's just for a little while and then we'll go _straight_ home. Tomorrow, we'll go out for ice cream with _lots_ of sprinkles." Caroline took her daughter's chin and kissed her forehead, stroking her curls away from her rosy cheeks.

Marcel held out his arms and Caroline handed her child over to him. "I've got you, kid," he said and Fiona buried her face into his suit jacket, letting out a loud cough.

"Thank you," Hayley mouthed as Marcel walked out of her office with Fiona and Aurora.

Hayley strode back over to her desk and sat back down. Uncapping the bottle of Advil, she poured two pills into her hand and downed the rest of her coffee. She really needed to go on a vacation already. Looking up at Caroline, she noted the dark circles under her friends' eyes and the way that her head inclined toward the door. "You okay?"

Caroline forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm probably going to come down with Fee's cold but other than that everything is just fine." She stretched out in the chair that Elijah had vacated not so long ago.

" _Elijah_ _Mikaelson_ was just here," Hayley said, turning on her computer and pulling up the questions she'd written for today.

Caroline's eyebrows rose. " _Huh_? What did _he_ want?"

"He came to rattle my cage and see if he could gain any info that Klaus couldn't have known." Hayley peered into her empty coffee cup.

"And?" Caroline said, sitting forward. "Did you say anything?"

Hayley scoffed. "Caroline, I'm new at this job, I'm not stupid."

Blowing out a breath, Caroline fell back into her seat. "Okay. Sorry. I'm just scared. What if the court finds against me?" Tears began to run down Caroline's cheeks. "I still can't believe that Klaus would do this to me."

"He's Klaus. He's _always_ been a bit of an ass." Hayley rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "So, Elijah brought up a good question that I didn't think to ask."

"And…" Caroline waited, biting at her lower lip.

"He wanted to know if you tried to contact his family—to find out where Klaus was while you were pregnant—so you could tell him." Hayley hadn't even finished speaking before Caroline began to shake her head. More tears ran down her friend's cheeks and she placed her hands over her face.

Hayley got up and walked around the desk. She sat down across from Caroline and placed a hand on her knee. "Care, hey, it's going to be okay."

"What if we _lose_?" Caroline sobbed. "I _can't_. I just can't see my life without my little girl in it."

"We're _not_ going to let that happen. Now, I wrote down a set of questions. Do you think we can go over them?" Hayley asked quietly.

Sucking in a deep, shuddering breath, Caroline nodded and Hayley walked back to her chair. Turning to her computer; she began. "Caroline, what is Fiona's favorite color?" Hayley knew that Elijah would begin with easy questions. Questions that might elicit a smile from the opposing side. What is Fiona's favorite toy? What does she like to eat for breakfast? Does she hate her dentist; I know I do. Questions like that would begin the case but it would finish with questions that would have Caroline on the defensive.

"Fee's favorite color is pink. Yesterday it was blue. The day before it was red." And there was the smile. The smile that accompanied a good memory. A memory that Caroline could wrap herself up in like a favorite blanket. "Is he _really_ going to ask me something that easy?" Caroline's brows knit together while she spoke and she looked at the blank pages that Hayley left on her desk. "What are _these_?"

"Elijah's _fake_ notes on the case," Hayley said, looking at them and dismissing them. "You want a harder one?" Caroline nodded. "How long have you been dating Tyler Lockwood?"

"I've been dating Tyler for the past year and a half," Caroline replied.

"And you knew Mr. Lockwood before?" Hayley added, her eyes moving from the computer to Caroline who shifted in her seat.

"Yes." Caroline's answer was accompanied by a pause.

"How did you know Tyler?" Hayley asked, she placed her elbow on her desk top and her chin on her curled fist, watching Caroline look at her hands.

Caroline looked up at Hayley. "Do you _really_ have to do this?"

" _Yes_. _Elijah's_ going to do this," Hayley retorted, picking up her empty coffee cup and setting it back down in disgust.

Tugging at her bottom lip, Caroline looked down at her hands before looking at Hayley. "I knew Tyler through Klaus. They worked at the same news magazine. Tyler makes those political cartoons. We see each other on the weekends." Trailing off, Caroline shook her head. "Do you really think that Elijah's going to bring up Ty?"

"Yes. I do. Tyler's a part of Fee's life which means it's not just your relationship with Fee that's in question; it's also Ty's." Hayley watched Caroline begin to massage her temples.

"Hold on a minute," Hayley said, she picked up her phone. "It looks like we're going to be at this for a while." She dialed out to Aurora's phone. When no one picked up, she rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "I'll be just a minute." Walking to the door, she opened it to find Marcel, Aurora and Fiona sitting on the floor. Marcel looked at her and Hayley let out a laugh. " _Oh_. Wow."

"He's _pretty_ ," Fiona said, holding up a bright red lipstick that she's used to decorate Marcel's lips, cheeks and eyelids.

Caroline came out of the office and let out a laugh. "Oh, baby, look at that."

Aurora huffed. "You owe me a lipstick," she told Hayley.

"Yeah. And this is going to Rebekah's e-mail account," Hayley said, taking a pic of Marcel who tried to get up but slid on a glossy magazine cover. "Watch your step!" Hayley cried. "Aurora, Caroline and I are going to get some coffee. We'll be back soon. Marcel, don't be shocked if this shows up in the company newsletter."

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. There's drama, humor and more Haylijah in this chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: Trying Times

Niklaus seemed irritated, pulling at the tie of his suit, his eyes drifting around the conference room as if someone or something would attack him at any second. Elijah stifled the desire to tell him to stop fidgeting like a small child on a sugar rush. His brother pushed his chair back and began to study a painting on the wall to their right. Then he began to pace.

Sighing, Elijah folded his hands over his knee. "Niklaus, would you _please_ take a seat?"

Klaus whirled around to glare down at Elijah. "When it is you fighting for the well-being of _your child—a_ child you had _no awareness_ of—then you may criticize my behavior, brother." A dark smirk appeared on Klaus' lips before he turned back to continue his pacing.

Falling back in his seat, Elijah adjusted his own tie. If nervous could be contagious, Klaus would cause a plague of people jumping at their own shadows. "Niklaus," Elijah began when Klaus turned on him.

"Elijah, brother, please," Klaus murmured. "Please, _explain_ to me what that is?" he waved a hand at the painting.

Elijah looked at the painting. "Something that Father procured from a dealer in New York." Looking at the painting, Elijah tried to understand what his brother was hinting at.

"Does it look _familiar_ to you at all?" Klaus snapped.

Elijah looked at the painting. Again, he did not understand what Klaus was going on about. "Perhaps. In a certain light."

"It's mine!" Klaus thundered, banging his hands on the table. "Except for that _lovely red slash_ through it. That I did _not_ do! Father, _ruined_ one my first pieces of work before I discovered photography and had it placed, _here,_ in this very room, to unnerve me on this _very important day!_ Are there no lengths that he will not go to in order to undermine me?" Gripping the back of a chair, Klaus glowered at the table top.

"Did you construct this table, as well, Klaus?" Elijah asked lightly, hoping to lighten the mood. "Perhaps I shall have it removed for the meeting."

Eyebrows rising, a smile crossed Klaus' lips but it held no sense of amusement and Elijah truly hoped that his brother would not flip the table in his rage. "What is your hourly rate, Elijah?" Klaus snapped. "I think I shall demand a discount for every time a witty remark escapes your lips. I am not paying you to play the part of my therapist!"

"Brother, it is _important_ that you stay calm," Elijah reminded Klaus who glared down at him.

"I am _bloody calm!"_ Klaus shouted, slamming his hand on the table top. Elijah looked at his brother who let out a long sigh. "Yes, perhaps I need to sit down and mind my manners." A smirk twisted Klaus' lips and he took a seat next to Elijah.

A knock sounded on the door and Hayley walked in. She wore a black suit causing her newly lightened locks to stand out. He sat up a little straighter in his seat as she walked around him to take a seat to his left. Caroline stiffened as she walked past Klaus who glared up at her. "Caroline," Klaus muttered.

 _"Don't,"_ Caroline snapped, sitting next to Hayley and staring at the table top.

Elijah refrained from telling Klaus to stop staring at Caroline. It would only set his brother off. "Are you ready?" Elijah asked Hayley who smirked at him.

Crossing one leg over the other, Hayley leaned over and opened her briefcase to remove a yellow legal pad. Elijah inhaled at the sight of a lacy bra which could be seen peeking out from the top of her button-down blouse. Hayley sat up. Her eyes lit up when she noticed him looking down her shirt and he quickly looked away from her, tapping the top of his own legal pad. Licking the end of her index finger, Hayley flipped her legal pad open and then leaned back down.

Elijah felt parts of himself stirring at the sight of her cleavage. He felt horribly unprofessional. He had not been with a woman since his marriage to Katherine had ended. He'd attempted to go on dates that Kol suggested but none of the women his brother introduced him to intrigued him. Hayley Marshall did. Unfortunately.

"Did you want to begin?" Hayley's voice startled Elijah out of his thoughts.

"Oh. Yes," Elijah replied.

Klaus gave Elijah a look which he chose to ignore. "Caroline," Elijah focused on Caroline whose eyes were wide. The poor women looked exhausted and Elijah forced himself to maintain distance. She was not family. Niklaus was.

"Caroline, tell me about Fiona," Elijah said, sitting back in his seat and rocking slightly.

Caroline looked at Hayley and then back at Elijah. Her lips pursed and she looked confused. "What is it that you want to know?"

"Evading questions, _already,_ love? How will you ever handle being in front of a _judge?"_ Klaus demanded, stabbing a finger against the table top, repeatedly.

"Niklaus," Elijah said, peering at his brother who narrowed his eyes. "This is _only_ a deposition. If you would feel _more comfortable_ in the hallway…" Elijah watched Klaus' anger grow.

"You do _not_ treat me as if I am a child, Elijah!" Klaus snarled.

"Brother," Elijah began when Caroline interrupted him.

"She likes pink today. And she has a teddy bear that my mom sent her for Christmas. She sleeps with it every night. She only wants to hear _Good_ _Night_ _Moon_ as a bedtime story and she'll make you read it to her, like, twenty times before bed. She likes it when I sing the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' when there's a thunder storm because she's afraid of thunder. Klaus, please!" Tears began to run down Caroline's cheeks. "Please, don't do this! Please!" Getting up, she startled Elijah by moving around the table and sinking down on her knees beside Klaus. "Please! Please! Please! Don't do this to her!"

" _I_ am not doing anything to her, Caroline!" Klaus retorted. _"You_ refused to tell me about _my child!"_

Caroline placed a hand on Klaus' knee. "Klaus, please, _look_ at me. _Please!"_

"Caroline, honey, stand up," Hayley said, standing up and coming around the table.

 _"Klaus?"_ Caroline said, reaching out and turning Klaus' chair around so they were face-to-face. "You don't have to do _this."_

"Yes. _Yes,_ I _do_ , Caroline. You made it this way," Klaus told her coldly.

Sniffling, Caroline walked back around the table top when another knock on the door caused Elijah to look up. Aurora popped her head inside. _"Sorry._ I forgot my little computer thing."

 _"Aurora?"_ Hayley looked at her assistant. "What are you doing down _here?"_

"Mr. Mikaelson came down and said he wanted everything recorded," Aurora explained with a giggle. "Oh, hello!" she waved at them and then grinned at Klaus. "Hi!"

Klaus smirked at Aurora, eyeing her while Caroline let out a loud sniffle. "Be a dear and get her a box of tissues," Klaus said, waving at Caroline.

"Right," Aurora started to sit her computer on Elijah's side of the table when Hayley let out a loud cough.

"Sorry!" Aurora said with a laugh. "I'll be back with one package of tissues. We have lots of them since the clients are always crying." She walked out of the room, hips swaying.

 _"You're an ass,"_ Caroline muttered under her breath.

Elijah let out a chuckle. He looked at Klaus, who shrugged. His brother's eyes had been glued to Aurora's backside and Elijah had to agree with Caroline. His brother was making an ass of himself. "Better an ass than a _few choice words_ I might use for you, love."

"Go to –" Caroline growled, her hands flat on the table top, her body moving to stand up when Hayley placed a hand on Caroline's and shook her head.

Calming, Caroline sat back down. "Where were we?" A smile appeared on the woman's face and no one would suspect she'd had been on the on her knees, begging for Klaus' leniency.

Elijah looked down at his notepad and glared back, yellow space between him. Hayley offered him another smirk, uncrossing and re-crossing her long legs. His fingers went to his tie, adjusting it before clearing his throat. "You said that Fiona likes pink," he began when Klaus let out a scoff.

 _"Truly,_ must we continue with _this_ line of questioning?" Klaus demanded.

Turning in his chair, Elijah stared at Klaus with open disapproval. Klaus glowered before sitting back and shrugging. Shaking his head, Elijah returned to Caroline. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, the child liked pink, this week?" Caroline nodded. "Right. And last week?"

"She liked cerulean blue," Caroline gave Klaus a pointed look.

A corner of his brother's lips worked upward. "Yes?" Klaus leaning against the table. _"And?"_

"Yeah," Caroline replied, licking her lips. "She likes to paint."

"She does?" Klaus' eyebrows rose, a smile beginning to spread across his face. "I wonder _who_ she picked that trait up from?" Steepling his fingers, Klaus grinned at Caroline.

Caroline shook her head. "You should see what she did to her room last night. There is this _giant_ pink blob on the wall." She started to laugh. "Oh, wait. Hold on. I've got a photo." Pulling out her phone, Caroline began to flick her fingers over the screen.

Elijah looked at Hayley who watched Caroline. Her eyes moved to Elijah. "Caroline," she said quietly.

"No. Wait. Here it is!" Caroline beamed, she pushed the phone over to Klaus who looked at the damage that their child had created.

"You painted the room with white paint?" Klaus's eyebrows knitted together as he looked at Caroline, who leaned on the table, holding her head up with one hand, a proud smile on her face.

"Yeah. I thought that she might want to decorate the walls herself. And I have a few of your works in there." Caroline stopped herself and looked at the table top. "I hope you don't mind."

"They belong with her," Klaus said. "Which ones are they?"

"Here," Caroline waved a hand and Klaus set the phone down and pushed it back to her. Caroline flicked through the phone's contents and then came up with something. "These are the ones in her room," she told Klaus, pushing the pone back to him.

"Oh, no! _Not that one!"_ Klaus let out a laugh. "What was I thinking when I created that monstrosity?"

Caroline giggled. "I like it."

"You _like_ it?" Klaus rolled his eyes. "Thankfully you chose not to become an art critic."

 _"Mean,"_ Caroline cried with a laugh.

The door to the conference room opened. "I'm back," Aurora announced with a wide smile. "Here are your tissues!" She walked over to Caroline and set a box down.

"Did you go to _Alaska_ to find them?" Hayley inquired, a touch of bitterness in her voice.

Aurora shook her head. _"No._ Just downstairs. Marcel had a client who killed her fiancée. Seems she needed _five_ boxes."

Hayley's eyes widened as she looked at Elijah. "Aurora, you remember Elijah, he works at the D. _A_. _'s office?"_ Her voice held an edge and Aurora glanced at Elijah.

"Oh, hello, again!" Aurora smiled at Elijah before turning to her computer.

Elijah saw Hayley's jaw tighten. This did not seem to going well for either of them. "Can we get back to the deposition?" Hayley said through clenched teeth.

"And this one?" Klaus cried. "Oh, I remember when I made it. You were wearing this _tiny_ black bikini and I was attempting to get some work done."

"On a beach?" Caroline cried, her eyes lighting up. _"Seriously,_ Klaus, you don't work on your vacation."

"The beach had _perfect_ light," Klaus retorted, a smile on his face.

"Excuse me!" Aurora held up a hand. Everyone looked at her.

"Yes, Aurora?" Hayley groaned.

"I'm confused. Why are we here?" Aurora asked, looking around the table. "Is this a divorce?"

"We were never married," Caroline said, swallowing.

"Oh, what a pity. You two seem _so_ happy together," Aurora pouted at Caroline and Klaus. "Tell us more about this beach story. I love romantic tales."

Hayley glared at Aurora who seemed oblivious. "I think we should get _back_ to the deposition."

"I agree with Ms. Marshall," Elijah said and Hayley nodded at him.

Caroline ignored them. "We were supposed to be on vacation."

" _You_ were on vacation, love, _I_ had bills to pay," Klaus interjected.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline shook her head at him. "Anyway, so 'I'm' on vacation and Klaus is 'working,' and I just wanted to tan and go swimming. Klaus comes to the beach with an easel. _Seriously!_ _Who_ _does that?"_

 _"Serious artists_ take their easels everywhere," Klaus replied.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "And I am trying to enjoy the sun and Klaus keeps telling me I'm in his light. _Seriously,_ the world needs one _more_ painting of a sunset."

"It was a _commissioned_ work," Klaus argued.

"Which now hangs in our daughter's bedroom," Caroline shot back. "So much for the commission."

"I was _late_ because _you_ made me _miss_ my deadline!" Klaus retorted.

Scoffing, Caroline leaned closer to him. "Because _you_ climbed on top of me –"

"Because of that _enticing_ bikini you were strutting about in –" Klaus cried.

"Because you _can't_ control yourself –"

"Because you drove me mad –"

"You _never_ could control yourself –"

 _"Enough!"_ Hayley cried. "Do you want the room or do you want to figure out what is _best_ for your kid?" she yelled at Caroline and Klaus.

Elijah noticed the flush that crept over Hayley's cheeks. He wondered what she would look like when in the throes of passion.

"Call it a day, shall we? Who would like a cup of coffee?" Aurora cried, moving to stand up when something began to ring. "Drat. Did I forget to put it on vibrate, again?" Looking at her phone, Aurora smiled at them. "Not mine."

"It's Tyler," Klaus said, and then he placed the phone to his ear. "Lockwood, how _lovely_ to hear your voice again." Klaus offered Caroline a smirk as she looked at Hayley and then Elijah. "Oh, yes, she's a _tad_ busy right now. Oh, _yes,_ you'll be meeting with my lawyer, too. You don't say? Well, I will be _happy_ to let him know. Oh, Tyler, _do_ calm _down._ No need to make a fuss. Oh, yes, I did tell him of that night. Best of luck."

 _"What night?"_ Caroline yelled at Klaus.

"You really should ask your boyfriend about _that,"_ Klaus replied, hanging up and shoving the phone to Caroline.

"Does this mean we're _not_ getting coffee?" Aurora asked them, a pout forming.

Hayley looked up at Aurora. "Why don't you go get some coffee?"

"But Mr. Mikaelson. I'm sorry," Aurora looked at Elijah. "The _other_ Mr. Mikaelson. _Our boss._ He told me to stay here and to write _everything_ that 'The Bastard' says. Who is the bastard?" She looked around the room.

 _"Me,"_ Klaus said darkly.

"Oh. That is _not_ very nice." Aurora shook her head.

"Just write _anything_ down," Hayley ordered Aurora.

Aurora nodded. _"Okay._ Can I call him something else in the report?"

"Call me _Nik,"_ Klaus told her.

"But your name's Klaus, _isn't_ _it_?" Aurora looked at Hayley.

"It's _Niklaus,"_ Klaus told her.

"Oh! _Yes._ Now, it makes sense." Giggling, Aurora looked down at Caroline. "Are you two still dating?"

"He's all _yours,"_ Caroline snapped, glaring at the table top. "I'm going to go call Tyler."

 _"Yes,_ he requested that you bring him home a muzzle," Klaus called after Caroline who sneered.

"I'll buy two. What's your address, I'll have it Fed-Exed?" Caroline called back on her way out the door.

"I bet you two have the cutest kid," Aurora said, examining Klaus. "And since she's taking a call, would you like to get a cup of coffee? My treat." Klaus got to his feet and Elijah watched his brother, feeling dismayed as he left with the secretary.

"This is going really well," Hayley groaned. She unbuttoned her jacket and slipped out of it.

Elijah tried not stare at her as she stood up and stretched. "How is your head?" he asked her.

Hayley's eyebrows rose. "Better. Thank you for asking, Mr. Mikaelson."

"You don't have to be so formal when it is just the two of us," Elijah replied with a smile.

Eyeing him, Hayley sat down on the edge of the table. She looked down at him. "You seem like a formal kind of guy. The type who irons his underwear."

Chuckling, Elijah stood up. "Perhaps."

Hayley chuckled, her long hair falling over her face as she dipped her head toward the floor before she looked at him. He felt a desire to reach out and grab her but dismissed the thought. She was opposing consul. He needed to maintain control.

"Where is Klaus?" Caroline asked them, walking back into the room, her hand going to her hip.

"He's gone to get coffee…" Hayley trailed off.

Caroline's expression darkened. "With the little…" Her eyes darted to Elijah and a forced smile crossed her face. "Assistant of yours." Walking back to her seat, Caroline dropped her phone back into her bag. "Is this going to take a _lot longer_ because my babysitter has to go to night classes in two hours?"

"It should not take _too_ much longer, Caroline." Elijah looked at his watch, registering that it had been at least twenty minutes since Klaus left the room.

Hayley slid her jacket back on—to Elijah's relief—and took her seat. They waited in silence for another ten minutes before Elijah pulled out his own phone. "I will be back in just a moment," he told them.

"Niklaus, _where_ in the bloody hell are you?" Elijah snapped into the phone the moment that Klaus answered. A giggle sounded on the other end of the line.

"I'm a tad bit busy," Klaus replied and Elijah inhaled sharply.

"You have two minutes before I _quit_ this case and you can find a _new_ lawyer, Niklaus!" Elijah snarled before he adjusted his tie, smothered his frustration and then returned to the conference room.

Five minutes later, Klaus came back into the room. _"Sorry._ The line went on for a bit longer than expected." He smirked at Caroline who glared at him.

"You've got a bit of something on your shirt." Caroline pointed at lipstick on Klaus' neck.

Klaus looked at it. "Yes. I suppose I do." He did not bother to wipe it off. Caroline looked away from him. A smirk appeared on his lips as he looked at Elijah and Hayley. "Shall we continue?"

"I feel _sick,"_ Caroline muttered.

"Perhaps you developed something from being with a dog –" Klaus retorted.

Shaking her head, Caroline got to her feet and ran from the conference room. Hayley got to her feet. "Mind if we reschedule?"

"Drag your feet all you want, Hayley, I _will_ have my daughter," Klaus called after Hayley who stopped in the doorway.

"Off the record, I think that you're a _monster,_ Klaus. And on the record, I think you need to grow up before you can ever be a _real father_ to anyone's child," Hayley snapped, giving Klaus a withering look before she walked out the door.

Elijah picked up his briefcase. "I think that went well," Klaus told him with a happy grin.

Shaking his head, Elijah stared back at Klaus. "And I think you are suffering from delusions."

After they left the room, Klaus wrapped an arm around Elijah's shoulders. "You and I must go out. You need to find someone new, do not allow Katherine to ruin your life, Elijah, you deserve _much better."_

"Niklaus, I am not you and I do not move on with the first woman who moves me," Elijah snapped.

"When is the _last_ time you had sex?" Klaus retorted.

 _"Enough,"_ Elijah moved to the elevator.

"You need a palate cleanser. I suggest you try _Hayley,"_ Klaus grinned when Elijah gave him a disgusted look. "Women _talk_ in bed. Learn Caroline's secrets and bring my child home to me."

"I am _not_ seducing Hayley for you, Klaus," Elijah snapped.

"Then let her do the dirty work. She was certainly offering herself up to you today or did you think I did not notice her flirtation?" Klaus' eyebrows rose.

"You're _mad,"_ Elijah scoffed.

"Am I?" Klaus stepped off the elevator.

Elijah wondered if Klaus might be right but he would not give him the satisfaction. "I do not intend on sleeping with Ms. Marshall anytime in the near future."

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Guest: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is a lighter chapter. On with the show...**

Chapter 5: Territorial

Manila folders laid stacked atop Hayley's desk. Mikael had offered Hayley another case which she would be second chair to Finn on. Of course, Finn had to keep physical copies of all his documents—not computer files—like everyone else from the turn-of-the-century. Seriously! It was nearly midnight and Hayley felt like her eyes were going to fall out of her head before she got done reading the details of the case.

Getting up, Hayley rolled her shoulders, yawned and stood up. She closed the last folder on the divorce of a couple who might kill each other before the case ended. On the bright side that would give the firm more work—defending the half of the couple who survived. She just hoped that's not how Caroline and Klaus' case ended.

Hayley placed the last folder in the box, put the lid on it and placed it beside her filing cabinet. She grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair and slid into it. With a yawn, Hayley looked around the room to make sure she'd put everything up. She really didn't feel like going home. Home meant no one but her. Take-out food and a cold bed. Nothing to look forward to.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley walked to the door and opened it. She turned around to lock the door when she heard the sound of Marcel's door opening and a female laugh. Hayley locked her door and turned to find a startled Rebekah coming out of Marcel's office. "Oh, hello, Hayley. What are you doing here so late?" Rebekah inquired, smoothing her wrinkled skirt, her lips pursing.

"Finn's got me reading his files," Hayley replied with a grin. "And what are _you_ up to?" she asked, her eyebrows rising.

Rebekah's cheeks flushed. "Well… Marcel and I have a case together… And we got carried away…with our work. Yes. Well, have a lovely night then." Grinning, Rebekah hurried down the hall and Hayley stopped herself from laughing at the sight of Rebekah's underwear that were attached to the back of her high heel.

Nodding, Hayley walked over to Marcel's door and tapped on it. After a moment Marcel came to the door in his boxers with a wide smile on his face, until he saw it was Hayley. "Hales… I thought you were someone else. Give me a sec."

Laughing, Hayley watched Marcel push the door closed. When he came back to the door; she shook her head at him. "I see you finally showed Rebekah Mikaelson your briefs," she informed him, still laughing.

"Yeah. Yeah," Marcel shook his head as he locked his door. "Want to get a drink?"

"Are you going to tell me all the sordid details of your hook-up?" Hayley demanded, following Marcel as he strode ahead of her.

Marcel paused and narrowed his eyes at Hayley. "I'm _not_ talking about Rebekah."

"Oh, come on, Marcel!" Hayley cried, stopping in front of the doors to the elevator. "You had _no_ _problem_ talking about her _before_." Cocking her head to the side, Hayley watched Marcel trying to avoid her gaze. "What's wrong? Not as good as you thought it would be? Was it bad? _She_ didn't seem to think so."

Marcel's eyes met Hayley's and he smirked. "I'm _sure_ she was happy."

"Then what's the problem?" Hayley cried as Marcel hit the button for the elevator to take them downstairs.

Rolling his eyes, Marcel pushed his left hand into his pants' pocket and shifted his briefcase. " _Nothing_. _Let's_ _go_." He pointed at the doors that just opened.

Hayley sighed and got onto the elevator. "You're _really_ not going to tell me?"

Marcel shook his head. "It doesn't make sense, Hales," he said, punching the button a little too hard.

" _What_?" Hayley replied, shifting her bag on her shoulder.

Letting out a sigh, Marcel turned to look at her. "Rebekah wants to keep things casual."

"And that's a problem… _why_?" Hayley felt confused as Marcel groaned.

"Does Rebekah Mikaelson _seem_ like the friends-with-benefits type to you?" Marcel demanded. He waited for Hayley to step off the elevator before continuing. "I like Rebekah. I can see her as the mother of my kids. And she…thinks that we should just have sex. _How_ in the hell does that make sense?"

Hayley blew out a breath. "Are you _sure_ you heard her right? Uptight, Rebekah I'm-looking-for-a-diamond-ring-with-every-new-relationship Mikaelson?" Hayley just could not see Rebekah wanting a casual relationship. She could see Rebekah trying to trick an eligible bachelor into a wedding where he didn't know about it until five minutes before they got hitched.

Nodding, Marcel clapped Hayley on the shoulder. " _Exactly_! This is _not_ the Rebekah I was chasing."

"So tell _her_ you won't have sex with her anymore," Hayley said as they walked out the front doors and to Marcel's car.

"Are you crazy?" Marcel retorted, leaning against the hood of his car. "There is no way that I'm telling her 'no' to sex."

"Ugh! Typical guy!" Hayley shock her head as he grinned at her.

"Says the woman who refuses to find someone to be with!" Marcel shot back as Hayley headed toward her car. "Am I following you or are you following me?"

"I thought you liked to let the woman take the lead," Hayley called back with a wink.

Marcel laughed as Hayley got behind the wheel of her car. She drove back to her place because she didn't feel like hanging out in a bar—getting hit on by a bunch of guys who thought she might be desperate or stupid. Getting out of her car, Hayley waited for Marcel. He got out and followed her to the front door. "Damn," he said as she led him up to her place on the eighth floor. "Is this why you don't have a gym membership; because you're into torturing yourself every day?"

Smirking, Hayley unlocked the door to her apartment. "Home, sweet home," she said, dropping her keys on the table by the door and kicking her heels off.

Marcel stepped inside and looked around. "Is this _real_ or some kind of joke?" he peered around her apartment. "What kind of rate is Mikael paying you at; 'cause you need a new place."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "I _like_ it. It's small but quaint."

"You mean _tiny_ and possibly _a_ _fire_ _hazard_?" Marcel eyed the bars over the windows.

Hayley liked her studio apartment. It had everything she needed. A bed. A couch. A TV, if she ever got to use the thing. A full-size fridge and a microwave since she had no one to cook for but herself and she wasn't going to complain.

"You want to go to your place?" Hayley quipped, walking over to her fridge, grabbing a couple of Heinekens and closing the fridge door with her hip.

Glancing at the ceiling, Marcel grimaced. "I can do this...once, but next time we hang, we're going to my place."

"It's a date," Hayley said, popping the caps off.

"Which is more than Rebekah's going to be saying anytime soon," Marcel grumbled as Hayley handed him his beer.

Hayley smirked as she plopped down beside him and took a sip of her beer. "I _still_ say you should keep your pants on. Make it clear what you want."

Marcel took a sip of his beer. "Is your fridge working? This is kinda warm."

" _Again_?" Hayley got to her feet and she walked over to it, giving it a kick, she paused and grinned when it began to whizz. "It's working now."

Laughing, Marcel waited for Hayley to sit back down. "How is the custody case going?"

"I'm _not_ telling you anything. You're part of the enemy camp," Hayley retorted, offering him a mock glare.

"I'm impartial," Marcel told her.

"Bull," Hayley retorted, sipping her beer.

"How about I don't ask you about the case and you don't ask me about Bekah?" Marcel replied.

"Agreed." Hayley held out a hand and they shook on it. "Let's see what Jimmy Kimmel is up to?" She switched on the TV and leaned into Marcel's shoulder while they watched the show. She hoped that he would be okay with whatever he was doing with Rebekah and she hoped that she won her case.

Saturday felt like it would never arrive. Hayley decided to avoid Caroline's phone calls. Caroline had become a nervous wreck thanks to whatever Klaus had pulled this time. They still had Tyler's deposition to get through. Finn had been irritable because the divorcing couple might be reconciling and Mikael had ripped him a new one. All Hayley wanted was some down time at her favorite spot.

Walking into The Chicago Art Museum, Hayley flashed her membership card at the attendant before heading back to her favorite exhibit. She walked down the halls and down the stairs. She loved the exhibit. The history of the items and the solitude of the - made her feel at ease.

Hayley had a smile on her face until she saw the side of a man's head. His eyes were on the top of a yellow legal pad. He wrote something down, stopped and looked at his notes before jotting something else down. Her jaw set as she watched him. Elijah freakin' Mikaelson. Elijah, in her space. This was not fair.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley turned to walk out of the room when a cough made her stop in her tracks. "Ms. Marshall?"

Hayley turned on her heel and forced herself to smile. "Elijah," she greeted him.

Smiling, Elijah set his pad on the other side of him. "How good to see you again. I was just thinking of you."

" _Really_?" Hayley felt surprised. She shifted her weight and shoved her bag up her shoulder.

"Yes." Elijah stood up and waved at the bench. "Would you care to join me?" he asked her.

"Oh. _No_. I can't. I'm actually meeting someone." Hayley hooked a thumb at the door.

"Oh. Well. Another time." Elijah looked disappointed as he looked down at the floor.

Relenting, Hayley walked over to the bench. "I could stay. For a minute." Sitting down beside Elijah, Hayley tried not to notice how small the bench felt. His fingers were splayed beside the hand she placed on the bench. "What were you thinking about me?" she asked him, glancing at him, her eyelashes lowering.

Elijah looked back at her. "I was thinking that you seem _too_ nice to work for my father."

For a moment, Hayley just stared back at Elijah before she let out a laugh that seemed too loud in the quiet space. She tucked her hair behind her ear, placing a hand to her mouth and chuckling. "I'm _not_ that nice."

"Are you sure?" Elijah teased her.

Hayley rolled her eyes. " _Uh_ - _huh_. Okay. Now, I _really_ have to go."

"Right." Elijah nodded, a smile on his face that made Hayley feel her own lips turning upward. Her body eased toward his and she saw his eyes move to her lips.

"Bye," Hayley said, watching Elijah's gaze move to her eyes and she resisted the urge to kiss him. Nothing good would come of that.

"Good-bye, Hayley," Elijah called after her.

Hayley forced herself to leave the museum. She made a note not to come back on this day. She had enough problems. Her growing attraction to Elijah would only make things worse.

On Sunday, Hayley returned to the museum. She found that her exhibit was empty and she sighed. Walking over to the bench, she sat on the side she'd sat when Elijah was there the day before. She opened her bag and began to scribble notes on Caroline's case. She knew that Elijah would not go easy on Tyler the next day. She had to be prepared.

"It seems that we share the same thought process," Elijah's voice came from the doorway and Hayley's head whipped around.

" _Wait_! Are you kidding me?" Hayley cried, shoving her legal pad into her bag. "What are you doing _here_? You were here _yesterday_!"

"I'm sorry. Would you like me to leave?" Elijah inquired. A smirk played on his lips, and Hayley felt the desire to stride across the room and leap on him; welling up inside her again.

"No. _I_ can go," Hayley said, grabbing her bag and standing up.

"Perhaps we should make a schedule." Elijah pulled out his phone. "You, obviously, want weekends, and I would like Mondays through Wednesdays. Would you like to rotate on Thursdays and Fridays, or split them?" He seemed way too amused.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Hayley stalked over to Elijah. "Are you trying to make this case into a joke, because I take it very seriously!" She glared up at Elijah.

Elijah frowned back at Hayley. "You think I would find a case surrounding a family member to be a 'joke?' If you knew me, you would not make that assumption." Walking over to the bench, he sat down. "Now, if you will excuse me. I need the room to work on my notes for the deposition of Tyler Lockwood."

" _Are_ _you_ _serious_?" Hayley snapped. "I _just_ came here. And I have notes to make, too!"

Elijah glanced up at her. "There are other rooms to use. You're free to pick one."

"This is _my_ _favorite_!" Hayley retorted.

"It is mine as well," Elijah replied coolly.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley walked over to the bench. "I'm _not_ leaving. So, I suggest that _you_ find a new room to work in."

"Perhaps we could share it?" Elijah suggested. "There is a comfortable bench over there." He nodded at a bench on the other side of the room.

"But it's _not_ in front of my favorite work," Hayley told him, crossing her arms.

"Oh, this is your favorite, too?" Elijah's eyebrows rose.

Hayley's lips pursed. "You like it, too?"

"Yes. It moves me," Elijah told her. "Perhaps we could make mental notes."

"Maybe," Hayley glanced at the empty part of the bench before sitting down. She could feel his gaze on her. "And not looking at me might help you think about the case."

"It may," Elijah replied with a chuckle.

Hayley's eyes moved to Elijah. Did he have to be so damned hot? Clearing her mind, she stared at the work until her mind began to wander to questions she could ask Tyler and nothing good was coming to mind.

After a moment, Hayley noticed Elijah taking off his coat and jacket. He looked at her. "It's a bit warm, don't you think?" he asked her, loosening his tie.

"Yeah," Hayley nodded and looked away. She tried to concentrate but now she felt too warm. Sliding out of her coat, she placed it to her right and then she pulled her sweater off, leaving her in a flimsy tank top and pair of jeans. The silk tank's sleeve fell down, and Elijah's fingers were on her shoulder, pushing it back up, before she could react.

"Thanks," Hayley said, glancing at him and tucking her hair behind her ear.

Elijah grinned. "You're welcome." He looked away and then back at her. "Did you want to get a drink?"

"I don't think so," Hayley told him. "I mean. I don't think that would be a good idea. You know, since you're on your side of the case and I'm on mine and…it is so hot in here. Did they turn the heat up?" She stretched her neck, glancing at Elijah.

"It appears that they might have," Elijah replied and he stood up. "Well, I have to be on my way."

"Okay," Hayley nodded.

Elijah walked to the entry of the room. "Hayley, would you like to walk me to my car?"

" _Yes_ ," Hayley blurted. She pulled her sweater back on and then her coat. Pulling her bag over her shoulder; she walked with Elijah to the door.

Hayley felt happy that Caroline did not frequent art museums since her break up with Klaus. Caroline would wonder what Hayley was doing with Elijah.

They exited the museum and Elijah stopped in front of a car. "Nice," Hayley mused. "Looks like it pays to work for the D.A."

"I bought this car when I worked for my father," Elijah replied.

"Oh." Now Hayley felt foolish. Trying to think of how to steer the conversation away from Elijah's dad and her current employer, she glanced across the street and felt her throat close up. "Shit," she groaned.

"What?" Elijah said. He turned to look at what Hayley was looking at.

"Don't look," Hayley snapped. "Just open the car," she leaned over, hiding.

Elijah slid behind the wheel and popped the passenger side door lock. Hayley moved into the passenger seat and then slid down so she could not be seen.

"What is the matter?" Elijah inquired. He seemed amused by Hayley's attempts to hide.

"You know who that is, right?" Hayley demanded, moving closer to Elijah and peering around his shoulder.

"Mr. Gerard. My father's partner. However, I do not know why you are hiding from him," Elijah still seemed amused when Hayley ducked down again. Her lips were nearly on his thigh as she hoped not to be seen by her other boss.

"If he reports to your dad that he saw me with you, Mikael will freak out. He might accuse me of feeding you information. He'll ruin my career, Elijah," Hayley whispered.

"Right," Elijah chuckled. "Wouldn't want that." Pulling off his coat, he placed it over her head and she pulled it to the left so he couldn't see her smile. "Did you want me to drop you off somewhere?"

"Umm…" Hayley debated the merits of having Elijah giving her ride home. If he did, they might end up in her apartment, in her bed, naked. Oh, God, she needed to get laid. When was the last time she had sex?

Hayley's thoughts stopped when she saw the long black locks and familiar stride of another lawyer. Her eyes widened when she saw Celeste Du Bois walk up to Mr. Gerard. Mr. Gerard offered Celeste one of his typical lecherous looks which made most of the young women in the firm cringe. Celeste placed a hand on his cheek and then leaned in for a lingering kiss. "Holy shit," Hayley murmured, her eyes on the couple.

"Well, I would never have seen that coming," Elijah said quietly. Hayley glanced at him from under his coat before she pressed closer to the glass of the driver's side door. She had moved so that her upper body was splayed over Elijah's lap and her hands were placed on the door. He did not complain. If anything he seemed to be enjoying their sudden proximity. Or part of him was.

"I cannot believe this," Hayley muttered as Celeste and Mr. Gerard began to walk in the opposite direction and she twisted around, sitting in Elijah's lap and peering over his shoulder at the two.

"Hayley," Elijah's breath tickled her ear and Hayley found herself pulling back to look him in the eye. His fingers moved to tuck her hair behind her ear. Oh, yeah. This was so not one-sided. She could feel how much he wanted her and her lips opened as his fingers became entangled in her hair.

Their mouths were about to meet when something began to jiggle around in his pocket. Closing her eyes, Hayley felt like killing whoever was on the other line. Elijah's jaw tightened. "I'm sorry," he muttered before digging in his pocket and pulling out his phone. "Hello? Yes. Alright. I am on my way." He shoved his phone back into his pocket and Hayley watched him. "I have to pick up my daughter from school. It seems her mother forgot her."

"Oh, yeah. Okay." Hayley nodded. She opened the driver's side door and began climb out of the car. The process was awkward. She wished she had slid back into the passenger side and out that way but now that she was in this position; it seemed she would have to keep going. Finding there was no graceful way to exit the car, she straddled Elijah before climbing out—ass first.

"Good-bye," Elijah said, closing his door.

"Bye," Hayley called back, running around the car and to the relative safety of the sidewalk. She found her skirt had ridden up and she was showing people on Michigan Ave. her underwear. "Seriously," she moaned.

"Hayley!" Caroline's voice startled Hayley and she turned to find her friend, coming toward her with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Hey, Care," Hayley hugged Caroline before pulling back.

"Did I just see you getting out Elijah Mikaelson's car?" Caroline demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

Hayley decided to explain the odd situation with the truth. "Yeah. We were at the art museum and –"

Caroline held up a hand. "Are you sleeping with him, Hayley?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"What?" Hayley let out a surprise laugh. "No. Of course not, Caroline."

"Why not? Elijah is hot," Caroline retorted, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Because he's opposing counsel," Hayley snapped.

"Exactly, Hales, this is your perfect chance to solve two problems: You need to have sex. And you can get Elijah to let his guard down. Maybe you can find something about my case. Steal his files. Or his computer. Listen in on his calls with Klaus. Do whatever you have to do. It's for Fee." Caroline stopped.

"Caroline, you are a bad person," Hayley joked.

Caroline sighed. "When you are a mom, you'll understand that you'll do anything to keep your kid."

"Including telling your best friend to seduce opposing counsel," Hayley retorted.

"Hey, don't tell me you're not into him. I saw that way you were looking at him during my deposition." Caroline gave Hayley a long look.

Laughing, Hayley shook her head. "You're a bad influence."

"I'm just trying to think like the enemy," Caroline muttered. "Speaking of Klaus, I wonder what evil scheme he's up to."

"Who knows," Hayley shook her head. They began to walk down the sidewalk and Hayley thought about Elijah. It would be easy to seduce him. She knew he was into her. She just worried about how far things would go. Maybe she should take a page out of Rebekah's new handbook—keep it casual—because that always worked out well.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Ali: Thank you for the wonderful review. I am happy that you're enjoying the story so much.**

 **Bri100: There will be a lot more flirting with Haylijah during the course of this story. Yes, I know. Klaus and Caroline—if they weren't both horribly stubborn people—would let this case go. However, it's probably going to take a bit more drama for them to end the battle.**

 **Guest: Thank you reviewing. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Guest: Thank you. I love Haylijah, too. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. In honor of my birthday, I am gifting you with some of my favorite fanfic stories today! On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Family Man

The morning left Elijah's mind reeling. He had a new triple murder and robbery suspect to prosecute, a man accused of killing two of his previous wives, with a third missing, or on-the-run, and Niklaus' custody case. Why could life not be simpler? To add to his list of demands, Katherine had called him, in the wee hours—two o'clock—to be precise—to inform him that he needed to pick up Nadia from school, today. Nadia. His little girl. Well, not biologically speaking, but in the ways that counted…

 _ **Haylijah**_

" _Elijah, I have to go out-of-town. No. I can't explain why." Her abrupt tone made Elijah's head ache as he propped himself up on one elbow to peer at the flashing light of his alarm clock. Rebekah said that green would be soothing, but it felt like staring into a traffic light, in the middle of the night._

" _Why?" Elijah inquired, yawning and running a hand through his hair. He needed to make an appointment with the barber._

 _Katherine let out a short noise. "I just said: I can't tell you why. Just trust me. It's important. Can you pick up Nadia, or not?" The sound of her heavy breathing added to the urgency of her tone. There was a time that Elijah would have leaped at her demand. Those days were long since over._

" _Yes. I will do this. For Nadia," Elijah's reply came in a quick, taut tone._

 _A sigh came down the line. "Great. Okay. Thanks," she muttered before ending the call._

 _ **Haylijah**_

Going back over the paperwork, Elijah called to his assistant, a young man named Thierry, who liked to play the saxophone and had a penchant for wearing a cap to work. When Thierry began working for Elijah, Elijah tried to convince the young man that professionals did not wear hats inside the office. However, Thierry could not seem to part with his beloved cap, placing it on his head whenever Elijah was in his office. Eventually, Elijah grew accustomed to the other man's habits; he was loyal and hard-working; this is what counted.

"Thierry, I need you to run some paperwork over to the Mikaelson and Gerard firm," Elijah said at that moment Thierry popped his cap-clad head in the doorway.

" _Sure_ ," Thierry replied with an easy smile. Thierry had a crush on one of the girls, who worked in the mailroom and jumped at any chance to see her.

"Thank you." Elijah sealed a large envelope and handed it to Thierry. "This goes to a Ms. Hayley Marshall—not to anyone else—not even her assistant." He held Thierry's eye for a moment.

"For Ms. Marshall's eyes _only_. Got it, boss," Thierry said, another smile on his face before he disappeared.

For the rest of the day, Elijah busied himself with gruesome pictures of stabbed housewives and gunshot victims, from the robbery, "gone bad." Elijah did not understand the phrase. Was there such a thing as a good robbery? His eyes hurt and he felt like all this death and horror was darkening his spirit. Sometimes he loathed this work.

His eyes moved to the clock on his computer. Two forty-five. His eyes moved back to the open file on his desk. He felt like he'd forgotten something…or someone. Nadia. Her school let out at three-o-five. _No_!

Slapping the file closed, Elijah forced himself to his feet and headed to the door. He locked up before texting Thierry to take the rest of the day off.

Elijah could not believe that he'd forgotten Nadia. He could see her chin sticking out. Her long, dark curls falling down her back. Her large eyes peering around her. The other children leaving, hand-in-hand with their parents—the ones who could remember that they had children—while his own child watched them gloomily.

Jogging to his car, Elijah slipped behind the wheel and inserted his key. He flipped the key in the ignition and glanced in the rearview mirror. It would not do to hit some poor person. Backing up, Elijah carefully drove out of the garage and toward Nadia's private school.

 _ **Haylijah**_

Nadia stood on the steps. The sprawling structure behind her looked as if it might swallow the girl up. She was only nine. A young lady but not yet a teenager. She stood, her expression stoic as she watched the other children careen toward their parents, and nannies, mostly nannies.

When Elijah moved towards the stairs; Nadia caught sight of him. Her eyes lit up and she nearly dropped her lunch box on the stairs. "Daddddyyyyyy!" she shrieked, her hair flying in the light wind.

Elijah scooped her up from the stairs; holding her close. She felt like the loveliest part of his life. His greatest regret about his marriage's demise—was not being able to spend every day with his child. "Hello, love," he said, setting her down and kneeling. "How was school?"

"It was okay," Nadia shrugged.

"Just _okay_?" Elijah teased her.

"It's _school_ ," Nadia said. "Can we get ice cream, _please_?" She began to tug on his hand as they walked away from the school.

" _After_ dinner," Elijah replied.

Nadia sighed heavily, reminding Elijah of Katherine, when he used to chide her about credit card bills. "O-kay."

They walked, hand-in-hand toward his car. "Did you learn anything important?"

"Nope," Nadia said, opening the passenger side door and climbing inside. Elijah remembered when she would wait for him to open the door and place her inside the car. Now, she pulled the door closed and fastened her seatbelt. My God, she was getting too old, too fast.

Rounding the car, Elijah took a seat before starting up the vehicle. Nadia pulled out her phone. "Sweetheart, no phone until after dessert and only for an hour."

"But mom—" Nadia began to say when she caught the look on Elijah's face. " _Sorry_ ," she muttered, tucking the phone back into her bag and staring out the passenger side window.

"You know, I have to go to a _very_ important ball, tomorrow. Perhaps you would like to accompany me?" Elijah inquired lightly. Really, it was a charity fundraiser, but with all the tuxes and ball gowns; Nadia would believe it to be a ball. She still believed in fairy tales.

" _Like_ _Cinderella_?" Nadia asked, her eyes wide. "Do you think that Prince Charming will come?"

"Perhaps. You never know with these kinds of things," Elijah winked at Nadia who grinned.

 _ **Haylijah**_

The day became less complicated as it progressed. Nadia changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, pulling her hair into a ponytail and asking for a toasted cheese sandwich. Klaus, Freya, and even Rebekah, made an appearance that evening. It seemed like they knew that Nadia would be there. Or they were yearning for family.

"Uncle Klaus!" Nadia shouted, her mouth full of cheese, her fingers smeared with a light coating of margarine. She leapt from her chair and ran to Klaus. "Did you make me a painting?"

" _No_. But I will," Klaus replied. "What would you like?"

" _Cinderella_. Daddy's taking me to a _ball_!" Nadia proclaimed.

"Oh, is he now?" Klaus grinned, carrying Nadia on his hip, back into the kitchen and seating her on her stool.

"Ball? _What_ ball?" Rebekah demanded, uncorking a bottle of wine while Freya looked for glasses.

"The ball. _Tomorrow_ _night_. Father is one of the hosts," Elijah said, absently.

Klaus stiffened but said nothing. He picked up Nadia's sandwich and took a healthy bite. "Elijah, you've out-done yourself. Perhaps you should try out for _Master_ _Chef_." His brother's eyes twinkled and Elijah forced himself not to roll his own.

Rebekah let out a snort and Freya choked on her wine. "Perhaps we should _not_ entertain ourselves by tormenting poor Elijah," Freya commented, resting her head on Elijah's shoulder.

" _Poor_ _Elijah_ ," Rebekah taunted.

Elijah chuckled. "Will all of you _stop_? I am in charge of _one_ child, I do _not_ need to be hindered by more."

" _Poor_ _Elijah_!" Nadia said, placing a hand to her forehead and pretending to swoon into Klaus' arms, who began to laugh. Rebekah and Freya watched Elijah before joining Klaus, laughing until they could barely stand, while Elijah shook his head.

Hours later, Elijah sat on his couch. Nadia's head rested on his shoulder and his siblings talked of their plans for the upcoming weekend. "I promised Kol I would attend one of his games," Freya told them.

"As a representative for the rest of our sorry lot?" Klaus quipped, his brows arching.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I barely have time to do my hair most mornings. How am I to be expected to travel half-way across the U.S. to watch a group of men throwing a ball about a field?" Crossing and uncrossing her legs, Rebekah gave her siblings a sulky look. "Well?" she demanded, her eyes fiery.

"Perhaps you will find a husband there." Freya retorted with a smile.

Groaning, Rebekah shook her head. "I do not desire a man who prefers sports to books."

"Oh, yes, because you'd be reading," Klaus retorted with a laugh.

Rebekah let out a hiss of fury. Grabbing a pillow, she tossed it at Klaus' head but Elijah caught in mid-air. Nadia stirred. "Dad?" she said, her lids heavy.

"It's alright. Let's get you to bed. The rest of you, please, clean after yourselves before leaving, will you?" Elijah really hoped that his siblings would not leave his home in the usual state of disrepair—they so enjoyed to leave it in—after visiting.

"Of course," Klaus' tone did not leave Elijah with high hopes.

Nadia groaned, again, when Elijah set her on her feet, in the bathroom. "Teeth," he said, picking up her toothbrush, the blue one with, Elsa, from Frozen, on it. He squirted toothpaste on it and watched Nadia jam the toothbrush in her mouth. Her eyes closed as she wiggled the toothbrush around in her mouth, yawning around it.

"Face," Elijah said. He wet a cloth and put mild soap on it, washing her face with gentle strokes before rinsing it.

By the time they were done—Nadia had fallen asleep—on her feet. Scooping her up, Elijah carried her to her bed. He tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Princess."

"Night, dad," Nadia mumbled, her arms going around her favorite stuffed bear and then she was out for the night.

Once Elijah returned to the living room, he found his siblings had cleaned up after themselves and let themselves out. This might be a first. He took the time to check his messages. Nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow.

"I want to be pretty, like a princess," Nadia cried as Elijah led her into a Macy's. The sales girl smiled and showed them a series of charming gowns for girls Nadia's age. She settled on a blue one. "It looks like Cinderella. If she were nine," Nadia told Elijah. Elijah glanced at the price tag, winced, but when he saw the sparkle in Nadia's eyes, he knew he could not say "No."

"Can I have it, please, daddy?" Nadia begged him, clasping her hands together and staring up at him, her lips pulled back from her teeth. She looked adorably ridiculous.

"Let's make sure it fits first." Elijah coaxed Nadia into one of the dressing room, to try on the dress before laying down money, for food, for next month.

"I LOVE it!" Nadia cried as she came out and twirled for him. The back of the dress needed zipped but she did look like a tiny princess. All she needed was a pumpkin coach and some singing mice, or were they birds? "Can I have it, please, please, please?"

"Yes," Elijah said.

"What a lovely purchase," the sales girl said as she placed the dress in the bag. She grinned at Elijah and Nadia frowned but said nothing.

"Thank you," Elijah said. "Let's us find you some shoes to go with this frock." Again, his daughter was all smiles and dancing away from him.

Their shopping left them very little time before the fundraiser so Elijah had to rush his usual routine and glanced in the mirror. He looked acceptable. Not quite as polished as he might be with another hour's time but nothing that would have Chicago's elite lifting their brows in shock.

"Nadia? Are you ready?" Elijah inquired.

Nadia nodded. "Yes, dad!" she came out in her gown, with her hair in curls—thanks to an emergency call to Rebekah.

His sister came out in a red gown, her lips pursed. "She will break many hearts years from now."

"You bet I will," Nadia said with a laugh.

Rebekah looked at Elijah. They were thinking the same thing: _She takes after her mother._ "Shall we?" Rebekah asked, moving toward the door.

"Yes," Elijah took Nadia's hand and they left the apartment.

Rebekah led the way to Elijah's car. She opened the door to the passenger seat and helped Nadia into the back before settling in the front seat while Elijah slid behind the wheel. They were quiet on the way to the Field Museum, the site of the fundraiser.

Elijah handed his keys to the valet while Rebekah helped Nadia back out of the car. Both females seemed excited as they watched the be-suited men and ball gown clad ladies walk up the stairs and through the doors to the museum. Nadia tugged at her bottom lip, her eyes wide. Finally, shyness began to take over and she pressed into the folds of Rebekah's dress.

"It's okay, love," Rebekah said, patting Nadia's slender shoulder. "No one will bite you. Or your father and I will bite them back. Won't we, 'Lijah?"

"We will," Elijah said. His lips formed an easy smile and Nadia relaxed.

Once they entered the room in which the main festivities would be held, Nadia had taken both Elijah's and Rebekah's hands. "Wow!" she cried, her eyes landing on something or someone. "She looks like a princess!"

"Who?" Elijah inquired and then he saw her, too.

Hayley Marshall stood in the middle of the room. Her dark hair swept behind her back in a long, mass of soft-looking curls. Her body covered in a long, cream colored gown. She looked like a bride, waiting for her groom to appear. Taking a step forward, Elijah wanted to go to her but then another man took his place beside her.

Marcel held a glass of champagne in one hand, his other hand moved to cover Hayley's bare shoulder. She turned with a look of surprise before a wide smile lit up her entire face. She beheld her friend with such open regard that it left Elijah with a slowly opening pit in his stomach.

Rebekah's sudden hiss made Elijah's head turn toward her. His sister had stiffened and her eyes burned with jealousy. Elijah wondered if he looked the same. He'd like to think he kept himself in check but he felt a certain tug of emotion better suited to a lesser man. Passion made men mad. And some women.

"I'm thirsty," Nadia said, interrupting Elijah's reverie and Rebekah's glaring at Hayley and Marcel.

"Let's get you something to drink," Rebekah said, taking Nadia's hand. She practically stomped toward Marcel before tapping him on the shoulder. "Do you mind telling us where the drinks are, since you seemed to have them so easily?" she inquired, her tone sharp.

"Rebekah," Marcel replied. "You look stunning."

"Thank you," Rebekah snapped. "Drinks. My niece is positively dying from thirst." Elijah's sister refused to look at Marcel, who looked amused.

"That right, kid?" Marcel asked, bending down on one knee to look at Nadia.

Nadia giggled, grinning at him. "Yes!" she cried.

"Then why don't we get you something," Marcel said. "Hayley, I will be right back."

"Okay," Hayley replied. She looked at Elijah. "Hi."

"Hello," Elijah replied. He watched her eyes move from him to the ball. Her eyes moved over the crowd. "You've got a kid," she said, her eyes darting to him. "No one ever said you had a kid."

"There are a lot of things that people do not know about me." Elijah told her. Hayley eyed him with a smirk before looking back at the dancers.

"Would you like to dance?" Elijah asked her.

"Sure," Hayley took the hand that Elijah offered her. They walked out onto the floor and her eyes kept moving around the room.

"Looking for Prince Charming?" Elijah teased.

Hayley looked back at him. "No. I'm… Looking for my boss…" She shook her head. "Yes. That sounds even weirder when I say it aloud." She chuckled, her eyes settling on Elijah. "Ever since I saw Mr. Gerard with Celeste DuBois, I've had this sinking feeling. And I can't seem to get over it. You probably think I'm crazy."

"I never think someone relying on their instincts is crazy," Elijah replied.

Hayley's eyes darted up to his. "Really?"

"You might be on to something. Only time will tell." Elijah spun Hayley outward and then back to him.

Hayley inhaled sharply when their bodies connected and she let out a laugh. Elijah felt his heart beat faster. She wondered what she looked like when she was being kissed or made love to. He wanted to see the look on her face as pleasure coursed through her body. He wanted to feel her body reacting to the things he wanted to do to her.

"Do take your time," Rebekah's voice came to them as she strode with an amused-looking Marcel and Nadia, drinking a very orange colored punch. "It's not like I have nothing else to do tonight."

"Do you?" Marcel retorted.

"Yes. I do," Rebekah snapped. Tapping a man on the shoulder, Rebekah grinned when the man turned toward her. "Do you have a date?" she asked the man.

"No. I don't," the man replied, looking Rebekah over.

"Wonderful. Well, now you do. Don't stay up too late," Rebekah called to everyone else before dragging the man away.

"That takes tact," Hayley said with a grin.

Marcel rolled his eyes. "Looks like you're stuck with me tonight, Marshall. Unless you're ditching me for Elijah here."

"No. Elijah was just keeping me company." Hayley smiled down at Nadia. "Besides, I would really hate to interrupt a great father-daughter date." She winked at Nadia who offered her a grin in return.

"Are you a princess?" Nadia asked Hayley.

Hayley opened her mouth to reply when Marcel jumped in. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked, waving Nadia to him. Nadia leaned closer. "Hayley is a princess from another time, but her parents worried for her safety, so they sent her here, to be safe."

"Wow!" Nadia looked up at Hayley with huge eyes. "Is that true?"

"Yup." Hayley nodded and Elijah smiled while Nadia took in this new information. Hayley's eyes met Elijah's and he enjoyed the brief moment.

"Dad, can we go see the dinosaurs," Nadia asked, tugging at his jacket sleeve.

"Of course." Elijah looked at Hayley and Marcel. "Good night."

"Good night, Elijah," Hayley replied with a nod. "Oh, and, about the papers you sent me…"

"Yes?" Elijah had almost forgotten the settlement in the custody case he'd drafted, in hopes of ending this ugliness, earlier, rather than later.

"I'll take your terms into consideration, discuss them with Caroline and we'll get back to you," Hayley told him, all business, but the twinkle in her eyes lightened the mood.

"Right." Elijah watched Marcel lead Hayley to the dance floor, feeling a desire to cut-in. However, he'd made a promise to his child, one he intended on keeping.

"Would you like to see the T-Rex or the Brontosaurus, first?" Elijah inquired.

"Both," Nadia cried, trying to run off while Elijah's eyes returned to Hayley who seemed to be having a good time with her friend. He would have other opportunities to pursue whatever this was, just not tonight.

 **Thank you reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Trishhab528gmail: Thank you. I try to update once a month, but, as you can see, that does always happen. I hope you liked this chapter, too.**

 **Big Request: I can see that a fellow writer is handling your request well. Thank you for thinking of me.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: I have new story, Mystic Falls: Homecoming, over in the TVD/TO crossover section if anyone is interested in checking it out and a project called Her Turn Films, outside of the FanFic world. If anyone wants to ask me anything about HTF, feel free to PM me. Thanks!**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. Hayley's dream world is becoming a bit too hot for her to handle and Tyler endures Hayley's questioning. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Oral Testimony

Groaning, Hayley felt herself dozing off. It was past midnight and she sat with a file open on her lap, her feet atop her desk. Marcel had come by—minutes ago in fact—to ask her if she wanted to go back to his place for a very late dinner and to watch bad cable TV like they were still in law school. She had declined the offer because she was worried that Chinese and a couple of beers would send her to sleep.

A solid knock on her door sent her folder to the floor and Hayley with it. Gasping in shock, Hayley rubbed her shoulder, squeezing her eyelids shut against the hot tears that filled her eyes. She heard someone's feet moving toward her and she reached up, fingers sliding over it, desperately searching for her letter opener. People killed lawyers all the time. Who knew who had come to her door after midnight?

"I believe this is what you are looking for?" Elijah's face came into view, along with the letter opener in his hand, and Hayley shed brand new tears, of relief, falling forward into his arms.

Elijah shifted, placing the letter opener on top of her desk as he pulled her to her feet. "Are you quite alright, Hayley?" he asked, gently stroking her hair off of her forehead and peering at her.

"Yeah," Hayley breathed, feeling her heart pounding away in her chest as Elijah stared down at her, his eyes still searching her for injury. Her eyes were glued to his lips.

When Elijah's eyes finally met hers, Hayley inhaled sharply. "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

"I thought you might still be here and I needed to see you," Elijah replied, his hands moving to her lower back.

"About?" Hayley wanted, desperately, to play it cool but it had been so long since she had sex. And all she wanted was for him to drop his pants.

"I wanted to ask you a question," Elijah said, his eyes dropping to her lips.

"Okay." Hayley nodded, waiting, hoping she knew what he wanted because she wanted it so badly she had to stop herself from tearing his shirt right off his body.

"I thought that you might want to," Elijah began when Hayley cut him off.

"Yes, Elijah, yes," Hayley moaned, her hands moving to the back of his neck.

Elijah gave her an amused look. "I have yet to tell you what my request is."

"Oh, yeah, that. Well…" Hayley wondered why Elijah was not kissing her and ripping her panties off.

"I thought you might want to try getting Niklaus and Caroline back into the same room. It seems as if there is unresolved tension. Perhaps if we gave them time alone, they could come to a resolution." Elijah's serious expression made Hayley want to scream.

Nodding, Hayley allowed her hands to fall down at her sides. "Okay. Yeah. We can try that."

"How does next Thursday sound to you?" Elijah inquired while Hayley moved away from him. She needed the space. She needed a cold shower. She needed to never be alone with him again. She no longer trusted herself.

"Sounds good," Hayley said, not bothering to check her calendar.

"Good. I will contact Niklaus tomorrow." Elijah moved toward her door, pausing with his hand on the edge. "And, Hayley, you really should consider sleeping in your bed."

Hayley nodded, feeling disappointment flooding her. "Thanks," she muttered, her eyes on her desk top.

Taking a moment, Hayley closed her eyes and then reopened them. "Elijah?" she called.

"Yes?" Elijah replied, half-in and half-outside of her office.

Rounding her desk, Hayley strode over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Elijah took a second to react before his began to hungrily attack her own. Hayley let out a cry when his body moved flush with her own. He pushed her backwards and away from the doorframe before lifting her off the floor. She wrapped her legs around his waist and was panting by the time her back met the cool wood of her desk. "Elijah, this isn't going to be anything more than sex, a mutual satisfaction of a bodily need. I do not have time for a real relationship with dating and drama and…" His lips were on her neck and she could not think.

"That is fine, Hayley," Elijah said, sitting up and tearing her blouse open. "I do not have time for a relationship either. What with work and Nadia. My siblings. They never allow me a moment's rest."

"So we're agreed," Hayley cried out as she undid his pants.

"Certainly," Elijah replied and she let out another loud cry when he pushed her back down and began to make love to her.

~0~

The loud cry of a small child made Hayley nearly fall out of her seat. Somehow she had fallen asleep, sitting upward. How had she managed that? Oh, yes. She had been in the middle of her third Elijah Mikaelson sex dream of the week.

Shaking her head, Hayley moved to the door. "Hey," she called when she was met with Caroline, Fi and Tyler Lockwood.

"Hey, Hayley. Sorry. I couldn't find a babysitter. Again," Caroline said, bouncing Fi on her hip.

Fiona grinned at Hayley before she wiggled on Caroline's hip who set her down. The little girl made a run for the opposite door. "Let me in, Marcie!" she shouted, banging on the door.

"Oh, my God!" Caroline cried, moving to collect her child when the door opened and she came face-to-face with Rebekah Mikaelson.

Hayley could count on one hand what Rebekah would be doing in Marcel's office at seven o'clock in the morning; when they were not working a case together. "Rebekah, good morning," Hayley called, trying to distract her from Caroline and Fiona but she was too late.

"Oh, hello there, darling, you must be Fiona," Rebekah knelt down and smiled at Fiona who grinned back at her, rocking from side to side.

"Hi," Fiona replied.

Marcel came to the door, eyeing Hayley, Caroline, Tyler and then spotting Rebekah. "Hey, Bekah, don't we have—"

"Not anymore," Rebekah retorted, not bothering to look back at him. "Do you know who I am?" she asked Fiona.

Fiona shook her head, her curls flying. "Nope," she replied.

"I am your auntie Rebekah," the Mikaelson sister's eyes flicked to Caroline, a glacier's iciness in her glance. "And you must be my very beautiful niece, Fiona."

"Yes. She is," Caroline said. "And we have a meeting with Hayley. So if you will excuse us…" Caroline attempted to pick up Fiona but Fiona took a step to the side and then darted into Marcel's office, clinging to his pants' leg.

"I want auntie Rebekah and Marcie to play with me!" Fiona shouted and Rebekah let out a chuckle.

"She's definitely got Nik's temperament," Rebekah noted, folding her arms over her chest. She turned sideways to be able to look between Fiona and Caroline. "And it looks as if she has chosen Mikaelson over Forbes, how shocking."

"Rebekah," Marcel said quietly, gathering Fiona into his arms. She began to play with his tie while he gave Rebekah a disapproving look.

"What? She's the one who would like to keep us separate from the little girl who obviously wants to be with us." Rebekah's smirk fell on Caroline.

Caroline's back was to Hayley so she could not see her friend's expression but she saw her shoulders slumping, her hands grasping at the air. "Rebekah, please," Caroline said. "Don't get in the middle of this."

"Oh, and why shouldn't I? Nik would a very wonderful father and you refuse to even give him a chance," Rebekah snapped back.

"Hey, look, I think you should give Caroline back her kid and that we should be able to go to our meeting, in peace," Tyler told them, his hands on his hips.

"This does not concern you, Lockwood. This is a family matter," Rebekah snarled.

Fiona began to cry, burying her face in Marcel's shirt who rubbed her back, cooing into her ear. "Cool it, people," he ordered them, moving to pace around his office.

"Caroline, maybe you should let Rebekah and Marcel watch her while we talk," Hayley said quietly.

Caroline turned to Hayley. She looked like Hayley had slapped her, her face pale and drawn. "What?"

"Just to keep the peace. For the moment," Hayley said, walking over to Caroline and coaxing her into Hayley's office. The triumphant look on Rebekah's face did not last as Hayley glared at her. "And maybe Rebekah can make it up to you, by taking you and Tyler out to lunch, and behaving in a civil manner, since you are family."

Opening her mouth, Rebekah started to say something when Marcel placed a hand on her arm and they all noted Fiona had fallen asleep. "Right then. Lunch. Tyler's buying his own."

Scoffing, Tyler looked like he was about to retort when Caroline replied. "Sounds good." Her words were clipped and lacked genuine enthusiasm before she walked across the office floor and took a seat in front of Hayley's desk, her back turned to Rebekah.

"Come on, Tyler, let's get this over with," Hayley called.

Tyler hesitated before closing the door on Rebekah and striding over to sit beside Caroline, offering her his hand. Hayley watched him squeeze Caroline's hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it. Caroline gave him a smile but it did look wane.

Hayley felt a pang of loneliness and another pang of remorse for how much pain her friend was in. Stepping around her desk, she tucked her skirt under, just to do something with her hands, stalling for time. This part would be unpleasant but necessary, might as well jerk the Band-Aid off now.

"So, Tyler," Hayley said, grabbing a notepad and flipping it open. "How long have you and Caroline been seeing each other?"

"You know how long we've been together, Hayley," Tyler replied, relaxing into his chair and shaking his head at her.

Hayley smirked back at him. "Thank you for stating the obvious, Ty; that will definitely help when it's Elijah taking you apart, not me."

Finally, Caroline's lips turned up in a real smile. "Yeah, Tyler, take this seriously," she demanded, her tone light as she smacked him on the knee playfully.

Tyler glanced at Caroline and then at Hayley. "Fine. Okay. We'll play this game." Rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, he began to count on his fingers. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six."

"Tyler!" Caroline cried, smacking him on the knee, harder this time. "Seriously! This is about my kid! Do you want me to lose custody?" Falling back into her chair, her smile fell into a deep frown.

"Care, this is stupid," Tyler replied. "Klaus is just being a dick. He doesn't want Fiona. He wants to make you pay for choosing me, and not waiting around for him to come running back to you." Getting up, Tyler began to run his hands through his hair. "He's just a jackass. He's always been a jackass."

"Tyler," Hayley began when Tyler held up a hand. "Look. I'm sorry. I think we should do this some other time."

"We do not have more time, Tyler," Hayley snapped, standing up. "Caroline, I think it might be better if you go downstairs and get a cup of coffee. Let me question Tyler."

Caroline looked from Tyler to Hayley. Tyler had his face buried in his hands and Hayley had her hands on her hips as she waited for Caroline to make the right move here. If she wanted things to go smoothly—when they had to face Elijah—she would allow Hayley to question Tyler without interference.

"Okay," Caroline said quietly, she shouldered her bag and got up. Walking over to Tyler, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"Uh-huh," Tyler replied, patting her lower back before watching her leave.

When Caroline was gone, Hayley gestured toward the chair that Tyler had been sitting in earlier. With a sigh, he moved back to his seat. His eyes lifted to Hayley. "Gloves off?" he questioned her with a sad smile.

"Yes," Hayley replied. "When did you and Caroline begin your relationship?"

"Three years ago," Tyler replied.

"And how long after you were became involved did Caroline give birth to Fiona?" Hayley waited. She already knew the question to this.

"Caroline and I did not officially get together until Fiona was six months old," Tyler replied.

"How active were you in Caroline's life previous to Fiona's birth?" Hayley began to take notes while Tyler hesitated.

"What do you mean active?" Tyler asked.

"I mean: How much time did you spend with Caroline?" Again, Hayley waited. She was only warming up.

"I don't know. It's not like we counted the hours that we spent together," Tyler adjusted his position on his seat.

"But if you had to take a guess. Would you say you spent a couple of hours a week together? Less? More?" Hayley sat the notepad down and watched Tyler closely.

"More," Tyler said quietly.

"Five?" Hayley shot back.

"More," Tyler said.

"Ten?" Hayley countered.

"More," Tyler muttered, running a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I couldn't catch your answer," Hayley replied.

"More!" Tyler snapped, his look irritable.

"If you think I'm being a pain, you just wait for Elijah's version," Hayley snapped back. "When was the first time you spent the night in Caroline's apartment?" she asked, consulting her notes.

"Two months before she had Fiona," Tyler told her.

Hayley looked up. "But you said you were not 'officially involved' until after she had Fiona, correct?"

Tyler inhaled. "Caroline got sick. You remember. They thought she might go into early labor so the doctor recommended bed rest."

"Tyler, I am the lawyer, what I know does not matter unless I am asked to testify," Hayley told him.

Sighing heavily, Tyler gripped the handles of the chair. "Alright. When Caroline was seven months she thought she was having contractions. We had been hanging out a lot for the last three months. Getting lunch together. Going to movies. I took her to Lamaze because she hated how people gave her pitying looks when she came in alone and you were at work."

"So you were dating?" Hayley said.

"No," Tyler groaned. "Not officially."

"What does 'not officially' mean to you, Tyler?" Hayley inquired.

"Not officially means that we hadn't sat down and discussed whether we wanted to be in a relationship, instead of just hanging out, as friends." Getting up, Tyler began to pace again. "I don't know what any of this has to with whether Fiona should be with Care of Klaus?"

"It has to do with you, and your relationship with Caroline," Hayley retorted, tapping her pen against her notebook. Remembering Elijah doing the same thing to unnerve her; she stopped. "Let's try it this way: How much time do you spend with Fiona?"

"I'm with Caroline every morning and every evening. I guess you would say that I'm like a father figure to Fiona," Tyler said, coming to stand behind his seat and gripping the back of it.

"But you're not her father," Hayley said, watching Tyler's eyes fall to the carpet, his shoulder slumping. "Have you and Caroline discussed expanding the family?"

"You mean having more kids?" Tyler's eyes lit up and a grin appeared. "Not really. Not yet. I don't want to put pressure on her right now. Not with the whole Klaus thing."

"But you want children?" Hayley knew she was leading him down a path that he might not like once he got to the end.

"Yeah," Tyler said. "I'd like to have at least two or three. However many Care can handle having."

"And they would be yours," Hayley said, watching Tyler closely.

"Yeah. Who else's kids would they be?" Tyler replied with a laugh, standing up straighter.

"Unlike Fiona," Hayley added.

Tyler's face flushed and his jaw tightened. "That is not fair, Hayley. You know that I take care of Fi like she's my own kid."

"Do you, Tyler?" Hayley asked him.

Tyler ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell, Hayley? I read her bedtime stories. I feed her. I take her to the park. I watch kid's movies with her. What more am I supposed to do?" Slamming his hands on the back of the chair, he glowered down at her.

"Not losing his temper would be a great start," Hayley flipped to a new page in her notebook. "Now, sit down."

Tyler sat back down, grumbling to himself something she did not catch. "Fine. Now what?"

"Do you intend on marrying Caroline?" Hayley asked him.

"Are you kidding me?" Tyler shook his head.

"Just answer the question," Hayley began to tap her pad of paper again, this time on purpose.

"Yes. I plan on marrying Caroline. If she'll have me," Tyler said.

"And you don't think that you'll ever look at Fiona, and see Klaus, and feel resentment?" Beginning to write her next question, Hayley ticked off the seconds it took for Tyler to formulate a reply.

"What? Are you a therapist now?" Tyler's resentment made Hayley shake her head. He really needed to keep his temper in check before he dealt with Elijah.

"No, Tyler. Are you going to answer the question?"

"Fine. No. I will not feel resentment toward the child who has nothing to do with who her dad is," Tyler's words made Hayley pause.

"No one really has anything to do with who our parents are and we don't really have control over how we react to certain stimuli. Like the name Klaus which sets this little vein in your temple into a frenzy," Hayley tapped her own temple, watching the vein in Tyler's throb under his skin. "So, tell me that Fiona being Niklaus Mikaelson's daughter, knowing that Caroline and Klaus used to have sex, regularly, that they were in love, that if he didn't leave, they might still be together as one big, happy family with young Fiona, that does not make you feel a second's worth of resentment toward the child?"

Sitting forward in his chair, Tyler glared at Hayley. "What I resent is being in the position of the bad guy here. I have done no wrong. I love Caroline. I am good to Fiona. I am there for both of them. Unlike Klaus, who left them."

"And you were all too happy to step in once Klaus left. Because you had been waiting for Caroline to be in a vulnerable state. And then you made your move." Hayley pushed her notebook aside, sitting back and watching Tyler explode.

"Are you freakin' serious, Hayley?" Tyler asked, getting to his feet. "Is that what you think happened?"

"I don't know, Ty, why don't you tell me? That way, when Elijah asks the same questions I don't end up looking like an idiot." Hayley got to her feet and folded her arms over her chest.

"Fine. Yes. I liked Caroline. I thought she was beautiful, smart, kind and I wanted to marry her from the second I met her. And she was in love with my friend." Tyler deflated. "So, yeah, when he was out of the picture, I became a shoulder for her to lean on. I had no idea she was pregnant until she was four months and she comes to lunch one day and says 'Tyler, I'm having a baby. I know I am young and I have plans. But I am pregnant. And I want this baby. And I am going to start showing soon, so I wanted to tell everyone I knew before they started telling me about diets I could try.' And I said: Okay. Cool. Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

"Tell me about the night that Klaus mentioned during the first meeting with Elijah, when Klaus answered Caroline's phone," Hayley replied.

Tyler looked away. "I don't remember a phone call."

"Tyler, Elijah. Klaus. Caroline. And I were in that meeting," Hayley reminded him. "Want to try again."

"Shit." Tyler moved toward Hayley's office door and then he stopped, turning back around. "Caroline and I had a fight. I went out and had a few drinks. This girl came in. She kept flirting with me. And I told her it wasn't going to happen. But she kept coming on to me. The next thing I know her hand is half-way up my thigh and her tongue is in my ear. She's practically in my lap and who happens to walk right by us: Klaus. He'd only been home a couple of days. And he gets this smirk on his face, like he knows what's going on and I want to stop him, but he's gone by the time I get this girl off of me."

"Did you tell Caroline?"

Shaking his head, Tyler rolls his eyes toward the ceiling. "I did. Right after your little meeting with the Mikaelsons. I don't think she believes me. But that's all that happened. I swear on my mom's life. I did not and would not cheat on Caroline."

"Good to know, Tyler," Hayley said, flipping her notebook closed. Now she would have to try to find the girl from that night. She loved the easy tasks her clients gave her.

A knock sounded on the door and Caroline entered. "Hey, guys. Are you just about done?"

"Yes," Hayley replied. "Tyler, I will ask you for some follow-up details but we can go over them on the phone."

"Right." Tyler got up, looking pale and like Hayley had just performed an invasive examination.

Hayley walked over to the door to watch Caroline knocking on Rebekah's door. Marcel answered and Hayley placed her hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Fiona hung from his back while Rebekah tried to hide in the corner of the office.

"Auntie Rebekah, come on, it's time for lunch!" Fiona cried, waving her hand. "Let mommy see how pretty I made you!"

'Auntie Rebekah' came to the door, her head down, her curls obscuring her face. Marcel slid Fiona off his back and into Caroline's arms before brushing Rebekah's curls over one shoulder and lifting her chin with his fingertips. "She's as gorgeous as ever," he told them.

Rebekah glowered at everyone, batting her blue eye shadow covered lids and pursing her purple covered lips. "Not a word," she muttered, pushing her way past the group.

Caroline let out a giggle and Hayley chuckled behind her hand while Rebekah's back stiffened. Hayley just wondered where the child had found those colors because she knew they weren't in Rebekah's bag. Just one more mystery to solve for another day.

 **Thank you reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to Guest reviews:**

 **Bella: Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too!**

 **Sensira: Thank you! The idea of taking the friendship between Hayley and Marcel from the show have and translating/developing it into a human relationship is a lot of fun to write. There are not many stories that include platonic friendships between the sexes; so I wanted to show that in this fic.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. TO is back and we are in desperate need of some Haylijah interaction, so here's something to tide you over. On with the show...**

Chapter 8: Restless

A usually tidy desk seemed to be covered with files for new cases and Elijah could only stare at the mess. How had he allowed this chaos to take over? Presumably it had been when he allowed Klaus' case to take precedence over all other work—all real work—the work for the D. A.'s office which should take the majority of his concentration. Perhaps it was this overwhelming feeling that Katherine was up to something. Or maybe it had to do with…

And as if she heard her name on the tip of his tongue, the object of his attention came into view.

"Hayley, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Elijah pronounced. He stood up, watching Hayley enter his office—without knocking. Her head was lowered, her cascade of dark, wavy locks fell over her face so he could not read her expression and he felt a lump rise in his throat.

When Hayley looked up, she offered him a slow smile and Elijah felt his knees buckle. His hands grasped the top of his desk to keep on his feet and he felt curiosity filling him. "Hi, there, Elijah. I need to ask your advice about something," Hayley said, peering at him through her long eyelashes.

"Right. Well. Please, take a seat," Elijah said. He forced his legs to fall back into his own chair, feeling relieved that he could sit down.

"Okay," Hayley replied. The soft sound of a click made Elijah look up from the pile of files he'd decided to straighten to avoid staring at her. He registered her back to him and then the fact that she had just locked his door.

"Is this a private discussion?" Elijah inquired, sitting back in his chair, watching Hayley turn to him.

"Very," Hayley replied and she began to slide her jacket off and onto the floor.

Elijah's jaw tightened when he saw that Hayley's thigh length jacket had concealed not a suit or dress but a bra and a pair of frilly knickers. "Um, Hayley…" Elijah began, adjusting his tie. "It's not that I'm not flattered—I truly am—it's just that—with the case and—" Elijah watched Hayley round his desk and could not seem to move as she lifted her left leg in an agonizingly slow gesture to place it over his body, straddling him and then shifting forward on his lap. "Oh, my," Elijah groaned, closing his eyes.

"Elijah, I think you're far too stiff," Hayley murmured into his ear. "Why don't you let me help you relax?" she inquired, her lips warming his ear as her teeth moved over it and she caught his earlobe and tugged while her hips moved against his.

"Hayley," Elijah groaned. "My life is very complicated right now. And I think that this might very well complicate it more so…" He pulled back to look her in the eyes and Hayley grinned down at him, pressing her lips to his in answer.

"I like complicated," Hayley murmured as she continued to move on top of him and her fingers laced into his tie and began the work of loosening it and then tossing it onto the floor. "I like you, Elijah," she whispered.

"I…" Elijah felt his heart beating rapidly before all his common sense left him and he picked her up, laying her across his desk and undid his belt. "God, I want you," he groaned, and then he reached down for her underwear.

"Elijah!" Niklaus' voice broke through, along with a pair of swiftly snapping fingers, right in front his face and Elijah jerked in his seat.

"Elijah, are you in there?" Klaus demanded, staring into Elijah's eyes with a mixture of irritation and bemusement.

"What?" Elijah groaned, placing his fingers to the bridge of his nose and rubbing roughly at it.

"You fell asleep, brother," Klaus informed him with a roll of his eyes. "If I wanted to converse with a narcoleptic; I would have chosen to have lunch with Kol."

Confusion washed over Elijah and he shook his head. "Kol suffers from narcolepsy?"

Chuckling, Klaus leaned against the small table on his elbows. "No. But then again, I thought you didn't either. My mistake." His grin turned to a scowl when his phone pinged and he glanced at the screen.

"What is it?" Elijah inquired, picking up his cup of coffee and taking a long sip. The café that he'd just taken a nap inside buzzed with the noise of a late lunch rush and Elijah wondered how on earth he could ever have drifted off with all of this noise going on. His eyes swept over the crowd and he spotted a woman with a long sweep of brown hair—attempting to close an umbrella—her head curved downward. Elijah felt his heart beat speed up. His feet, with a will of their own, told him his move to aid her and to look deep into her eyes said nothing and everything at the same time.

But when the woman straightened Elijah's heart stopped. It was not Hayley. His eyes flicked back to Niklaus whose fingers drummed a reply into his phone before he deposited it back into his jeans pocket. Elijah's eyebrows rose when Klaus did not answer his earlier question.

Klaus picked up his cup of coffee and took a quick sip. "Some women can not take a hint," he uttered under his breath, his gaze dark.

"By women, I'm assuming you mean Aurora?" Elijah said, not being able to stop himself from grinning.

"I made it clear that I did not intend for our dalliance to become more than what it was—a need being satisfied. However the girl seems to believe that we have a lifelong connection and I…" Klaus scowled again.

"And you…" Elijah waited for Klaus to finish his thought.

In answer, Klaus moved to his feet, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and shoved the chair into the table with a little too much vigor for the poor little table shook with the effort. "My heart belongs to another," Klaus said, his eyes falling on Elijah.

"I know, brother," Elijah said, getting to his feet and gathering his own raincoat and umbrella.

The two brothers made their way through the throng and to the front door. Klaus made his way out first, becoming drenched in seconds, his curls falling into his eyes, making him look the boy that Elijah knew him to be, and, again, Elijah felt himself smiling.

"Where are you off to now?" Elijah inquired, making his way to his car, his umbrella held over their heads as Klaus marched purposefully forward, a look of determination on his face.

"Off to see a girl," Klaus said as they arrived beside Elijah's car.

"Niklaus, please, do not harass, Ms. Forbes," Elijah cried, shaking his head, knowing that Niklaus would do what Niklaus thought was best.

"Who said anything about harassing her?" Niklaus inquired, pivoting on one heel and standing outside of the protection of the umbrella. His smile said it all.

"Niklaus, you are going to ruin all of my efforts," Elijah scolded Klaus who shrugged.

"I will pay you, either way. Wish me luck, brother," Klaus said. He took a large step backward, moving further away from Elijah who would like nothing more than to drag him into the car—perhaps to toss him into the boot and listen to his threats and recriminations as Elijah drove him around the city 'til he changed his plans.

"Niklaus!" Elijah shouted at the same time that Klaus shot into the crowd of people walking down Chicago's busy Wacker Drive. Shoulders falling, Elijah knew he could do nothing to stop his brother's foolishness.

Moving to round his car, Elijah looked at the grey clouds and then slipping inside the safety of his vehicle. Withdrawing his phone, he made a quick call. "Elijah Mikaelson speaking, you night have a visitor and if you prefer not to be bothered, you might consider finding a friend's to stay at for the day, and the night." Hanging up on Caroline Forbes' answering machine, Elijah hoped that Caroline got the call before Niklaus arrived at her residence. He also hoped that Niklaus did not hold this against him—for too long.

Sighing, Elijah closed his eyes. The things he did for his family. Opening his eyes, he drove toward his office. He had a pile of cases to work through and would not be leaving until around midnight; if he was lucky.

~0~

The day slipped by faster than Elijah expected it to. The rain continued to patter—heavily at times—against the window of his office. It broke the monotony of the quiet with its almost musical rhythm.

When Elijah did not receive a call-back from Caroline or receive any indication from Klaus that he had become aware of Elijah's interference; Elijah felt relieved. Slipping his last case file into his file cabinet, and turning his computer off, Elijah decided to call it an early day at 9:45 p.m.

"Have a good night," Elijah called to Thierry as the young man shut his own computer off and grabbed his jacket.

"Night, boss," Thierry replied, pulling out a briefcase and a saxophone case.

"Are you playing tonight?" Elijah inquired.

"Just for a couple of old friends," Thierry said, grabbing his cap and placing it on his head.

"Right," Elijah nodded with a smile, inclining his head.

On their way out the door, Thierry caught Elijah's attention. "You could come along; if you'd like."

Pausing, Elijah pursed his lips. He rarely took a night to himself. "It wouldn't be an imposition, given that you're performing for your friends?"

"Nah." Thierry grinned. "It's just my girl and a couple of friends from back when I was in college. I'm performing at this little club—kind of a corner of the street place. It's only a couple of blocks away."

Elijah nodded and fell into step with his employee. The walk included a companionable silence and the rain had become a slight drizzle. They slipped in through the front door, and—as Thierry had said—there were only a few people in the crowd tonight.

Thierry made his way over to the young woman and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek, and she smiled up at him in a way that only young people in the throes of a love affair seemed to manage. The young man clapped a few others on the back before he stepped onto the stage and withdrew his instrument. Elijah did hope he would not fall asleep again.

The soulful sound of the saxophone swept over the room and all conversation halted, attention moving to the young legal assistant. Elijah smiled, sitting in rapt silence and becoming lost in the mood of the smoky darkened room.

Elijah almost didn't notice the front door open and a couple slip inside. They were laughing at something and Elijah felt his heart begin to pound. Hayley. This time he was not mistaken. Her hair fell down her back and she smiled adoringly up at her seemingly constant companion, Marcellus Gerard. They stopped laughing seconds later; sensing the mood perhaps.

Hayley's large eyes took in the people seated there before her eyes made contact with Elijah's and he nodded at her. He thought he saw the hint of a smile on her face. Marcel leaned over, whispering something into her ear, his hand on her back before he moved to the bar.

Eyes drifting back to the stage, Elijah swore that he would focus on the entertainment for the night and not his own, silly jealousy. The air to his left moved and Elijah inhaled the smell of a light perfume, Hayley's. He cocked his head to the side. "Funny meeting you here," he said, smiling at her.

Hayley's brows rose. "I was about to say the same thing about you," she told him.

Elijah leaned back in his seat. "I do like to surprise people, from time to time."

He heard her quiet laughter and then silence. "Hey," she whispered when Marcel joined them with a pair of drinks. "Hey, Elijah. Funny seeing you here."

"Isn't it?" Elijah quipped.

"He's good," Hayley said and Elijah thought she was talking to him and opened his mouth to respond when he noted her gaze on Marcel.

"Now, aren't you happy I dragged your sorry behind over here?" Marcel retorted with a grin. Again, Elijah had to swallow back biting jealousy that felt completely unwarranted. He had no claim on Hayley and she had the right to date whomever she liked.

"Are you enjoying the music, too, Elijah?" Marcel inquired, looking at Elijah.

Elijah nodded. "Very much."

"How did you end here, anyway?" Hayley asked, knocking back her drink and inhaling, her eyes watering.

"Thierry, the musician is my employee," Elijah told her.

"Oh, yeah. He delivered something for me and Aurora misplaced it. It wasn't important was it?" Hayley said, leaning against the table with her elbows.

"Aurora?" Elijah felt his eyebrows knit together. "You might want to have a chat with as to the whereabouts of that package," he told her, his lips forming a line.

Hayley stared at him. "It's that important."

"It could be," Elijah stated.

Sighing, Hayley looked at her glass and then shook it at Marcel. "Refill?" She offered him a wide smile.

Marcel rolled his eyes. "You're lucky we're friends," he teased her.

"Best," Hayley added with a wider smile.

"Can I get you anything, Elijah?" Marcel asked him.

"A scotch, if it's not an imposition." Elijah glanced at Hayley who returned to watching Theirry.

"Imposition," Marcel scoffed. "Man, spending time with you during my SATs would have helped." He shook his head as he moved back, toward the bar.

"If you would prefer to sit somewhere else don't feel as if you need to keep me company," Elijah said.

Hair flying, Hayley's head whipped in his direction. "Excuse me?" She looked offended, her lips pursing and her forehead creating an adorable crease between her brows.

"I simply meant that if you and Marcel wanted to be alone; you do not have to sit here—to be polite." Elijah straightened his tie and looked away.

"Wait… Do you think this is a date?" Hayley let out a loud laugh. "Oh, God! Oh, Elijah!" She was still laughing, tears of mirth pouring down her cheeks when Marcel joined them. "Marcel, Elijah thinks… He thinks… Oh, God!"

"What?" Marcel looked confused and amused as he offered Hayley her drink and Elijah his. "What did I miss?" He looked from Hayley to Elijah.

"I'm sorry if misinterpreted the situation," Elijah murmured, adjusting his tie again and feeling foolish.

It took Hayley another thirty seconds to calm down long enough to explain. "Date," she blurted. "He thought we were on a date. Ha!" Hayley began to slap her knee.

"Hales, I think that drink went right to your head," Marcel told her.

Hayley shook her head, grinning. "Marcel's in love with your sister," she explained to Elijah. "And you thought! Ha, ha, ha!" She almost fell out of her chair, tipping backward and slapping her hand over her mouth.

"It's not that funny," Marcel said, holding Hayley in her seat. "You'd be a very lucky woman to have me."

"You mean while you're up at all hours or the morning allowing Rebekah to—" Hayley began when Elijah interrupted her.

"Ahem. This is my sister," Elijah reminded her.

"Sorry," Hayley mumbled and then giggled before knocking back her second drink.

"You're cut off!" Marcel warned her.

"No!" Hayley crowed and Thierry's group gave them a sour look. "Sorry!" Hayley called, slinking back into her seat.

~0~

Hours later, Thierry and his group of friends had pulled a couple of tables over to join Elijah, Hayley and Marcel. Hayley was making up for her faux pas by paying for everyone else's drinks. "Man, I can't even afford my student loans," Hayley muttered, looking at a bill that arrived on the table.

Withdrawing a credit card, Elijah silently offered it to the waiter. "Elijah, no!" Hayley cried out, but the waiter had left them. "How am I supposed to pay you back?" she asked him, pouting.

"I can think of a few ways," Marcel said, a glint in his eye and Elijah wondered how much he'd had to drink.

"It's late and we want to thank you for coming," Thierry's girlfriend told them. "And it's time to get this guy to bed. He has to get to work in the morning for this guy," she said, patting Elijah on the shoulder.

Elijah offered the girl a smile. "He can come in an hour later tomorrow. It's the least I can do considering the wonderful show he's given us tonight."

"Thanks, boss," Thierry said, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders and they made their way out with their group of friends.

Marcel got up. "Speaking of work—I've got to get up early," he said with a yawn. "You want to split cab fare home?" he asked Hayley.

"Nah. I'm going to have one more before going," Hayley said.

Marcel frowned and then glanced at Elijah. "You make sure she doesn't walk."

"Of course," Elijah replied.

Hayley waved down the waiter and ordered one more drink before grabbing her jacket and Elijah got up, gathering his own things. They made their way outside and Hayley hailed a cab. They slipped inside.

"Which way you two going?" the driver called to them.

"Oh, we're not going…" Hayley began and then she looked at Elijah.

Elijah stared back at her. "Yes?"

"I mean, you don't want me to…" Hayley shook her head. "You should give your address and I'll give him mine after you get out."

Elijah offered the driver his address and then he watched as thunder flashed through the sky. "It's getting worse," he told her.

"Yeah," Hayley leaned over him, glancing out the window and he was reminded that she'd had too much to drink.

When they arrived in front of Elijah's place, he paused before withdrawing his wallet and removing the bills for the driver. "You should stay the night—sleep off the drink," he informed Hayley. "And it really is a bad night."

"I…" Hayley looked at the driver.

"Lady, I don't have all night," the driver told her.

"I'm going. With him," Hayley took Elijah's hand and they slipped out, into the driving rain. Elijah did not bother with the umbrella. Instead they ran through the sheets of monsoon like driving winds and water. Inside, Hayley shivered as Elijah punched the button for the elevator. He pulled her inside with him the moment the doors opened, drawing her body to his, and she shivered, again, her body vibrating against him.

Hayley emerged from the elevator first and Elijah led her by the hand to his apartment. Once he got the key into the lock, he moved aside to allow her entrance. Her eyes widened as she took in the view of the lakefront. "Can I move in?" she called over her shoulder.

"If you like," Elijah called back and Hayley turned to him, a big grin on her face.

"Don't tempt me, Mikaelson," she said, her tone had a husky edge to it and Elijah inhaled.

"I'll get you some towels and a shirt to change into." Elijah forced himself to leave her. He moved through his familiar space, thinking of the woman in the living room and trying to control his body's reaction to having her here.

When he came back into the living room, Elijah dropped the towels and button down shirt on the floor. Hayley stood, glowing in the lights from above her and the misted windows before her, her light skin glowing. "Hey," she called, turning to him. "Where do I put these?" she asked him, her wet clothes clasped in her hand.

Hayley's naked form gave him pause before he could articulate an answer. "There's a basket. In my bedroom."

"Which is where?" Hayley asked him.

"Back there," Elijah waved in the general direction of his bedroom; he no longer knew its exact location.

"Okay," Hayley said. She walked away from the windows and right past him. He could only watch in awe as she headed toward his bedroom. "Are you coming?"

"I… I believe it would be better if I stayed out here, tonight," Elijah replied, gathering the towels and shirt for her. He held them out to her.

Hayley moved toward him and Elijah wandered he were dreaming again when she knocked the towels and the shirt back onto the floor. Her lips were even softer than he imagined as she leaned on tip-toe to kiss him. "Hayley," he breathed. "You're drunk."

"I'm feeling much more sober," Hayley said, clasping her hands around the back of his neck and jumping up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"I think we should wait until morning," Elijah mumbled against her lips, his fingers already pressed into her thighs. He wouldn't be able to control himself much longer as she moved up and down him; increasing his need for her.

"I'm done with waiting. I want you. Now!" Hayley pulled back, looking Elijah in the eyes. "And tomorrow morning. In the shower."

"Right," Elijah grunted and he moved them toward his bedroom, suddenly remembering exactly where it was and his bed; if they made it that far.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Back in Ch. 7—Haylijah did not have sex. That was a dream, like the first bit in this chapter. We will have to wait 'til chapter 9 to see if the last bit was another dream, or if this time it was reality.**

 **Isa: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this bit, too.**

 **Guest: Rebekah's a tiny bit more in-control in this fic—as a lawyer she can not lose her temper, as much as she might like to—even it's not a professional situation. I was thinking the same thing with a little Fi/Mikaelson bonding, so we will see that soon.**

 **Guest: I think you'll probably have enjoyed this, but you'll have to wait to find out if it's all real. ;)**

 **trishabontemp: Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, my lovely readers. Well, many of us have had our hearts broken by TO's series finale. May our lovely ships live on in FanFic verse! On with the show…**

Chapter 10: Working Dinner Party

Was it possible to wake up atop a cloud? Hayley smiled as she squeezed her eyes shut, relishing in the feeling on linen sheets embracing her body and the cool, soft comforter, wrapping her like a cocoon. She could stay this way forever. Rolling over, she enjoyed the happy dream, of a life of luxury and then nuzzled into a nice smelling chest.

Seconds later, Hayley's eyelids popped open and she registered Elijah Mikaelson's bare chest. His ruffled hair might make her smile if she did not remember how bad this was. Not the sex. Oh, the sex was A++. She would love to climb on top of Elijah and remind them both of how much fun last night was but she had work.

"Shit," Hayley groaned, rolling away from Elijah. She needed to locate her clothing and get the hell out of here.

"Good morning, Hayley," Elijah said and his lips met her bare shoulder blade.

Shivering, Hayley turned to peer at Elijah through her lower eyelashes. "Hi," she said, feeling shy and pleased with the look of pleasure on his face. If she could wake every morning, with the guy who looked at her like that, every day, she could die happy.

"Good morning to you, too," Hayley replied with a grin. Her eyes fell to Elijah's lips. He seemed to be thinking about the same thing when his fingers tangled in her hair and tugged her on top of him. His lips brushed hers, gently, before pressing more firmly and she felt his tongue ease into her mouth.

"Elijah," Hayley cried out, wrapping her legs around his waist and losing her mind as they began to move. She really needed to get out of here. However, her brain and her libido seemed to have very contradictory feelings at the moment. And she really, really liked what Elijah was doing with his mouth as he kissed her chest.

~0~

An hour and half later, Hayley stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. "You don't need that," Elijah called to her, stepping out of the shower to stand behind her in front of the mirror. He picked up a brush and began to brush her hair. Yes. Hayley thought that a life with Elijah pampering her would not be that bad.

Closing her eyes, Hayley allowed herself another couple of minutes of indulgence before cold, hard reality set back in. "Elijah," she said softly, placing her hand over his.

Elijah's eyes became concerned and his hand stilled. "Yes?" he said. He set the hair brush down, on the counter and laced his arms around her waist.

"We can't do this," Hayley breathed, closing her eyes. She could not look him in the eye and have this conversation.

"What do you mean?" Elijah inquired, rubbing her stomach through the towel and making her think all kinds of happy thoughts which involved their dropping their towels. "Did you not enjoy last night? And this morning?" His lips went to her neck. Hayley cried out as his fingers moved under the hem of the towel, up her thigh and she began to lose her nerve.

"No!" Hayley, get it together and act like an adult, she chided herself before turning around to face Elijah. Gulping, she placed her hands on the counter, clutching it to prevent herself from reaching out to him. "Last night was one of the best nights of my entire life, Elijah. I mean that more than you can possibly know. What I mean is… I need to concentrate on my career right now." Taking a breath, Hayley rolled her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. "You're going to make some lucky lady a great husband one of these days."

Elijah took a step back. "Well, thank you. Last night was lovely, but if you feel that this," he waved a hand around them, "will be a distraction, don't let me stand in your way."

Hayley felt a lump form in her throat as Elijah strode out of the bathroom. Head dropping forward, she gritted her teeth. Why did it have to be so damned complicated? She chewed on her bottom lip before she forced herself to leave the room and move into the bedroom. Elijah stood in front of his closet, selecting a suit for the day.

Head bowed, Hayley tip-toed to the door. Walk of shame. She was getting way too old for this crap. Rolling her eyes, she only stopped at the sound of Elijah's voice. "Do you need a ride home?" he called to her.

"Yeah. Yes. That would be great. Thanks," Hayley called over her shoulder, afraid to look back at him.

"Not a problem," Elijah called back.

Moving down the hallway, Hayley examined the paintings on the walls. She regretted that she would probably never stay here again. She'd love to take her time studying them. Some of the works looked like they belonged in other centuries and a number of them called to her.

Hayley entered the living room and collected her clothes from the floor. She might have been drunk, but she hadn't been that drunk. She dropped the towel and slipped back into her clothes. Turning she found Elijah, leaning against the wall and she wondered how long he'd been there.

"Are you ready?" Elijah asked her.

"Yes." Hayley grabbed her purse and headed toward the door.

They took the elevator down in silence and Hayley kept stealing peeks at Elijah through her hair. She wanted to grab him and kiss him and beg him to take her back upstairs. She would call in sick.

The bell dinged and the doors slid open. Stepping out of the elevator, Hayley fell into step with Elijah. They made their way out to his car and he opened the door for her. Always the gentleman. No guy had ever treated this well.

"I assume you will not have time for breakfast," Elijah sighed, buckling his seatbelt.

"Nope. I'm already ten minutes late. If you could just drop me at my place, so I can grab my bag and call a cab –." Hayley stopped when Elijah gave her a long look.

"I can wait. Until you gather your things, and give you a ride to work," Elijah offered and Hayley thought about the gossip mill at work. What she really needed was for Elijah Mikaelson to drop her off at work.

"No. No, I'll be fine," Hayley replied, with a big, forced smile.

~0~

"Ms. Marshall. I hope you do not intend on making this into a habit." Mr. Gerard held a letter opener between the tips of his index fingers and eyed her like she was a prime piece of steak. She half expected him to begin to lick his lips while he looked her over. Why did she have to wear the red suit? Oh, yeah, because Elijah insisted on driving her to work this morning and she couldn't stop herself from picking it.

At the time it had been worth it to see Elijah's eyebrows rise and the tilt of his lips as she slid in beside him. Now, she felt grossed out. Rebekah smirked and elbowed her in the ribcage, Marcel winked at Hayley and straightened his tie and Hayley groaned, inwardly while Mikael sat back in his seat at the front of the room.

"Tonight is a very important dinner party which will be hosted in my home. This means that anyone who embarrassed themselves will be fired on the spot. Mikael's eyes lingered on Hayley, Marcel and Rebekah. Any one." His blue eyes glowed in the heavily lighted room and Hayley felt her head begin to pound.

"Lovely," Rebekah muttered.

Marcel let out a cough.

And Hayley opened her purse and began to search for pain relievers.

"Attendance is mandatory" Mikael continued. "There is a dress code. Again, do not embarrass me."

Mr. Gerard snickered and Mikael turned to glower at him. "Is something amusing, Jack?"

Mr. Gerard held up his hands. "No, Mikael. Nothing at all. I'm sure that our team will bring their A-game. Even Marcel." Mr. Gerard gave Marcel a look that made Hayley frown and she could feel her best friend tense up in his seat. "This party's not going to fail. Not like that time –"

Mikael's eyes turned to Mr. Gerard and the other man fell silent. Even his perpetual grin slid from his face and Hayley had to control her desire to smirk at her boss' discomfort. He deserved this and much worse.

"Back to work, everyone," Mikael shouted at them, his eyes still boring a hole into his partner. Hayley reminded herself to pump Rebekah for info one day. She just could not understand how a man like Mikael, a cold and ruthless business man would ever get himself entangled with the likes of Jacques Gerard, the flamboyant, boorish, cad of a boss.

"Looks like we're stuck going to another work function," Marcel said, turning to Hayley and Rebekah in the hallway. "So, Bekah, are you bringing someone?"

"Yes," Rebekah snapped before she walked away.

Marcel let out a low whistle. "Well, I guess I'm going stag. Unless, I can interest another lovely lady into going with me?" He offered Hayley his smile that made most women swoon.

Hayley sighed. "Fine. But this is the last time I go as your plus-one just because Rebekah refuses." She gave Marcel a mock annoyed look.

"I promise, the next time Rebekah will be on my arm." Marcel told her on the way to the elevators. "Speaking of Mikaelsons. What happened with you and Elijah last night?"

"Nothing," Hayley lied.

Marcel eyed her as they stepped onto an elevator. Several members of the firm stepped on behind them. Hayley willed Marcel to keep his big mouth shut until they got back to their offices.

When the elevator opened on their floor, Marcel waited for everyone to get off before holding the door for Hayley. He moved to walk beside her and did not utter a peep until they stood in front of her door and then he folded his arms over his chest. His eyes bore into her like Mikael's had bored into Marcel's father.

"What?" Hayley cried out, staring back at him.

Marcel shook his head. "I told him to get you home," he sighed, shaking his head.

"He did," Hayley retorted.

Marcel looked her over. "Don't ever take the stand, honey."

"I am not lying," Hayley hissed as someone stopped at the end of the hallway, looked their way and then strode off. "I have work to do. I'll see you later."

"Right. Okay. Play it that way," Marcel retorted, opening the door to his office.

Sighing at the sound of Marcel's door closing, Hayley slipped into her own office and took a seat. She hoped he would find an interesting case to play with today.

When someone knocked on her door thirty minutes later, Hayley groaned and stood up. If it was Marcel, she was going to kill him. "Yes?" she called.

Aurora came into the room. She was carrying a bouquet of red roses. "These are so lovely. And they smell delightful. Someone has an admirer," Aurora babbled as she held out the flowers to Hayley. "I read the card," she confessed with a smile. "Shall I compose a response?"

"No," Hayley snapped, plucking the card out and opening it.

 _Thank you for a lovely night_ , it read.

"Are you sure?" Aurora inquired as Marcel came out of his office. He gave Hayley and the roses a look, shook his head and walked off.

"Yes," Hayley said. She shoved the roses at Aurora. "Keep them." Aurora seemed pleased as she buried her nose in the flowers and Hayley slipped the card into her purse. She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers into the bridge of her nose. At least she had work tonight and would not have to worry about running into Elijah.

~0~

Hayley had yet to step onto the grounds of the Mikaelson residence. She did not know what she expected but she knew she did not expect Marcel to pull up to a massive gate and a sprawling lawn. "Okay. So, when I grow up, remind me not to purchase a city to live in," she scoffed, eyeing the acres of land. She just did not get how some people needed all of this to impress others with.

There were lights leading them all the way to the front doors and a valet service. "I'm glad I'm not taking Bekah for dinner with the family," Marcel added, peering at the roof of the house—could it still be called a house if there looked to be five stories to it?

A valet opened the passenger door and bowed. Hayley stopped herself from laughing at the poor man. He was just trying to do his job. She took his hand, allowing him to guide her out of the car.

Marcel stepped around the side of the car and offered Hayley his arm. "So, we're doing this?"

"Yup." Hayley forced herself to nod and to not be nervous.

Together, they walked up a flight of brick steps and up to the double doors. A woman in a long white gown greeted people, kissing cheeks and smiling at them. "Hello. I'm wonderful. And the kids? What a pleasure to see you again," the blonde said, holding one man's elbow and smiling at him. This could not be Esther Mikaelson. She looked like she was in her thirties, late thirties, but she had to be another kid.

Hayley tried to remember Rebekah's siblings and failed. "Freya," Marcel said smoothly, kissing Freya's cheek.

"Marcel, how lovely to see you tonight. Rebekah will be thrilled to see you," Freya exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Will she?" Marcel looked genuinely unsure of himself, a real rarity.

"She will. Trust me," Freya said, patting him on the shoulder and then turning to Hayley. "And this must be Hayley."

"Um?" Hayley looked at Marcel.

"Father has high hopes for you," Freya stated, folding her hands over her stomach and Hayley's eyebrows rose.

Nodding, Hayley forced a smile. "Great. It's nice to meet you…Freya."

"You as well." Freya had already moved on, her eyes on the next group of people. "I'll see you again, inside," she said to them.

Marcel led Hayley through the foyer. "Have you been here before?" she asked him.

"Yeah. A couple of times. Mostly to deliver paperwork, back when I started out with the firm," Marcel said, heading toward the sounds of chatter, laughing and a string quartet. "Rebekah gave me a tour one time, when we were the only ones home."

"Is your dad's place like this?" Hayley blurted and she kicked herself when she saw the dark look on Marcel's face.

"Yup. Only there are a few more rooms. Pretty classless. And there's probably a torture chamber in the basement for my dad's…more extracurricular activities." Marcel gave Hayley a long look and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "My sentiments exactly."

"Mikael, look at this young lady!" Jacques Gerard's voice came from an uncomfortably close angle and Hayley turned to find him standing right behind them, staring at her ass. Lifting his eyes, he grinned at her. Hayley frowned at the sight of his ruddy cheeks and his leering. "I told Old Mikael that you would be one hell of an ass-et to the firm."

Mikael came over to them. A blonde woman who looked very much like Rebekah, if Rebekah were thirty years older, arrived at Mikael's side. Her head was held high even as her husband's business partner sunk so low. "Hayley, is it?" Esther inquired, moving closer so Mr. Gerard would have to back off. "How lovely to meet you, dear. Mikael's had nothing but praise for your work thus far."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Mikaelson," Hayley said, smiling at Esther and feeling herself beginning to glow as Mikael slid an arm around his wife's waist and smiled at them.

"She is going to give Rebekah hell moving up the ladder," Mikael added, snagging a glass of champagne off a tray and offering it to Hayley, since he and Esther already had their own.

"I heard my name." Rebekah joined them with a scowl.

"Rebekah, darling," Esther kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Did you not bring a date?" She looked around the room.

"Oh, I did," Rebekah waved a hand and Klaus appeared by her side with three glasses of champagne. He gave one to Rebekah and kept the other two. "I brought Nik as my plus one."

"How lovely," Mikael sneered at Klaus. "I was hoping you might bring a nice young man from the firm with you."

"Sorry to disappoint," Rebekah retorted with a smile directed at Klaus.

"Well, then I do hope Niklaus will not mind that I invited the mother of his child and her boyfriend," Mikael held up a hand and beckoned someone forward.

Caroline and Tyler came to join them and Klaus turned pale before downing the rest of one glass. "Hi," Caroline said. "Hayley, thank God, you're here."

"I don't think we've been introduced," Mr. Gerard moved toward Caroline when another man joined them.

"Elijah?" Esther looked surprised and pleased. "I did not know you would be joining us tonight." She walked over to Elijah and kissed him on the cheek.

"I needed him to get through this," another man said.

"Kol," Mikael ground out, looking less than pleased.

"Father," Kol replied. He turned and grinned at Caroline. "Darling, we've missed you. How is the baby? Did Freya tell you she demanded pics for the little one? But you know how she is when it comes to the tiny, screaming ones. So glad I only have to sign their little mitts."

"Mitts?" Hayley felt confused.

"Kol's a baseball player," Marcel filled in.

"Oh," Hayley realized that there were so many things about the Mikaelson family she did not know.

"Mother!" A very tall man came to join them. Another sibling? Esther seemed even happier to see him.

"Finn," the other siblings greeted him with groans, sighs and the tipping back of drinks, mostly Klaus and Kol.

"Shall we begin soon?" Finn asked them, looking around the group.

"Yes," Mikael lifted his hands and everyone stopped talking. "Thank you all for coming. Now, please, allow me and my wife, Esther, to lead you to your dinner."

Hayley wondered if the main course might be a family member but kept her trap shut. Instead she walked beside Marcel and took a seat beside him. Looking up she realized she was sitting across from Elijah. He offered a polite smile before turning to Rebekah and began to chat about a music event they were hosting.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley picked up her glass of wine and began to drink. She jumped when a hand came down on her thigh. "Just me, darling," Kol Mikaelson said, winking at her.

"Kol. Leave her," Elijah snapped, glowering at Kol.

Kol let out a quiet laugh. "Sorry. Didn't know you had your eye on her, brother." Getting up, Kol moved to sit beside Caroline. Klaus glared at his little brother but found himself in hot water when Aurora sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Relief began to flood through her until Mr. Gerard took a seat beside her and Hayley started to stand up and find another seat when Mikael stood up and began a speech. Mr. Gerard, placed a hand on the back of Hayley's seat and leaned close to her. "You can move up the ladder, so much faster by spending a little after-hours time in my office. I have an open door policy for young ladies with your potential, Marshall."

Letting out a sound of disgust, Hayley turned to find Marcel clutching a fork in his fist. "Don't," she whispered to her friend, grabbing his hand and pushing it down. "He's not worth it," she muttered to him when his father turned his attention to whoever sat on his other side.

It's not that Hayley did not want to murder Mr. Gerard, or to help Marcel, murder his dad, it's that she did not see either of them doing well in prison.

~0~

Slowly the dinner moved forward and Hayley escaped the clutches of her disgusting boss. She would have to talk to Rebekah about how they took him down for sexual harassment without losing their jobs and never working at any law firm again.

Tabling that discussion for the night, Hayley enjoyed a dance with Marcel while keeping an eye on the Klaus/Caroline/Tyler drama which would probably explode any time now.

"May I have this dance?" Elijah asked, and Marcel smirked at Hayley before stepping out of the way. Extending a hand, Elijah waited and Hayley shook her head at him. But she could not help smiling at him.

"You know that we can't do this," Hayley whispered to him.

Elijah gave her an innocent look. "I have no idea what you're referring to, Hayley." He spun her outward and then pulled her back, so her chest flattened to his. Catching her breath, Hayley stared into Elijah's eyes. She had a flash of looking into his eyes as he made love to her the night before and she felt her heart pound.

Elijah seemed to be thinking about the same thing as his hand slid down her back. "Shall I take you on a tour of the house?" he inquired.

"Okay," Hayley nodded quickly. She wondered if she could get out of this house with her panties on or whether she would spend the next hour in a compromising position with the son of her boss.

Fingers intertwined, Hayley and Elijah walked into the quiet hallway and past more expensive artwork that Hayley thought should be at the museum, not in someone's house. He led her to a circular staircase and up to the third floor. They did not say a word until Elijah opened the door to a bedroom. "This is my room. When I'm home," he said.

"Uh-huh," Hayley nodded before grabbing him and kissing him. He lifted her and carried her to the ridiculously large bed and Hayley forgot about work, or the party downstairs as Elijah made her happier than any case she had this year.

~0~

Slipping back out of the door, and into the hallway, Hayley straightened her dress and peered back at a peacefully sleeping Elijah. Grinning, she made her way to the staircase. She only stopped when she heard the sounds of giggles coming from another room. The door was just barely ajar and Hayley did not want to see who was in there but then she heard Mr. Gerard and she thought that maybe she could catch him in an act which could end his career.

Hayley pushed the door open just enough to see Mr. Gerard's arms tied to the bedposts while Celeste DuBois walked by the side of the bed, waving a stocking at him.

"Ew," Hayley groaned, pulling the door closed. She had no idea where to go from here but she doubted Celeste would be honest about any of this. Shaking her head, Hayley hurried down to the party, confused and worried for the future.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Anna: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this update, too, and I hope to send out another before October.**

 **Nikki: Thank you! I hope you feel that this chap was worth the wait, too.**

 **Guest: Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, my lovely readers. Elijah is about to have some family/childcare problems on his hands. On with the show…**

Chapter 11: Need a Babysitter?

To have an entire day from work, during the week no less, was a precious commodity to Elijah who had very little time to himself. His plans included catching up on his fiction reading list. He'd intended on reading through the Sherlock Holmes series, years ago. However, what with law school, a complicated marriage, fatherhood and having siblings, who seemed to enjoy drama, Elijah never had time to do so.

Settling into his favorite chair, Elijah picked up a steaming cup of tea and flipped to the first page.

After reading the first line, on the first page, of the first chapter, of the first book, the doorbell rang and Elijah sighed before slamming the book closed. He already knew who it was before he opened the door.

"Elijah!" Katherine groaned, leaning against the doorframe with a long look. She'd pulled her hair up and looked almost professional in a tailored suit and heels. But the red lipstick and the smirk did not help her case. "I need a favor," she said, waltzing in as if she still lived with him.

"Do come in, Katherine," Elijah retorted.

Katherine turned on her heel. "You're not busy, are you?" She arched an eyebrow, gaze flicking over the apartment. "Sherlock Holmes? Again? You really should expand your reading material. Try something written in the last twenty years." Strutting to the cabinets, she pulled one open and removed a bottle.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking?" Elijah asked her. Walking into the kitchen area, he leaned against the counter while Katherine leaned forward, grabbed a glass and poured herself a drink. "Where is Nadia?" He offered this question because Katherine did not answer the first one.

Back turned away from him, Katherine's shoulder stiffened. Elijah remembered how little she enjoyed answering his questions. She told him that it felt like he was prosecuting for a crime he believed she committed.

"Stop bringing work home, Elijah!" Katherine shouted. She'd taken a high heel and thrown it, barely missing Elijah's head. She stood in the middle of her so-called closet which could be the size of some people's apartments. Her mascara ran as she took off the heel she'd just put on and threw that one at him, too.

"Why are you always questioning everything I do? I can't breathe here!" Katherine choked on a sob and when Elijah moved to comfort her, she shoved him away. "Just get away from me!" she wailed. "You always think you're better than I am. You always did." Her last words came out in a whisper as she slipped to the floor.

Not knowing what else to do, Elijah had stepped out of the bedroom. Nadia sat by the door, her favorite stuffed animal tucked into her arms. Her large brown eyes moved to meet Elijah's. The child did not utter a word.

Leaning down, Elijah picked up his daughter and carried her to the living room. He turned on the TV which he tried not to do because he thought that reading to her would help her development much more than the drivel on the small screen.

A sound came from the hallway and Katherine came out with a bag. "I'm going to stay with friends for a couple of days," she told them.

"Mommy!" Nadia scrambled off Elijah's lap and ran to her mother. She held out a small hand.

Katherine wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Baby, I'm going to be back, soon. And we'll have lots of adventures. But right now I need you to stay here. Be good for Elijah." Pressing a kiss to the top of Nadia's head, Katherine opened the front door.

"Mommy, don't go!" Nadia cried out, grabbing at her mother's skirt. "Don't leave me! Mommy?"

Elijah had come to the door and scooped up a wailing Nadia as Katherine tugged her skirt away from her daughter. "You're coming back?" Elijah had felt uncertain. Surely Katherine would not walk out and leave her child behind, would she?

"I'll be back. This is just for a little bit of time," Katherine said and then she walked away.

Elijah and Nadia could only watch her heels disappear around a corner.

Katherine came back three months later. She demanded that Elijah return Nadia as if he'd chosen to keep the child with him. Without a fight, Elijah had given Nadia over to her mother. This time Nadia did not want to go with Katherine. She'd clung to Elijah.

"No, Elijah! Don't make me go! I'll be good! I'll brush my teeth! I won't ask to watch TV. I'll eat the veggies and go to bed on time! Please! I want to be with you!" Nadia cried out, tears running down her cheeks.

Katherine stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip, fingers curled around the handle of Nadia's little travel case. In that moment Elijah contemplated strangling Katherine. He could not bring himself to kill her and he certainly would not kill her in front of her child. But what she'd done here, he found unacceptable.

"Nadia, I love you. And I promise, I will always be there for you. If you ever need me, call me and I will come find you," Elijah said, gripping the little girl's shoulders. She felt so small and fragile under his grip. He thought he might cry, too.

"I love you more," Nadia cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and only moving away when Katherine tugged her back.

"We need to go," Katherine said. "Good-bye, Elijah." Taking Nadia's hand, Katherine pulled the child out of the apartment and down the hallway.

Elijah turned to find Nadia did not have her rabbit. Grabbing it and his keys, he left his apartment, locking the door behind him before he hurried down to the first floor. He ran out into the bitter Chicago winter to find that Katherine and Nadia were getting into an unfamiliar car with a man he'd never seen before.

Pausing, Elijah squeezed the bunny in his hand tight. He felt the air entering his lungs, freezing him from the inside. The man closed the door behind Nadia and then slid behind the wheel. Elijah could not bring himself to cross the street or to call out. He could only stand, and watch as his family drove away with a stranger.

Nadia's toy still in his hand, Elijah walked back into the building. He only realized he was crying when he held the bunny up to find it wet.

~0~

"You don't mind watching Nadia, again, do you?" Katherine asked, turning to face Elijah. She tapped the glass with her polished red nails.

"Of course not," Elijah replied.

"I'm going on a job interview. There's an art gallery. A friend of mine is leaving her position there and she said I would work well with the manager." Katherine's eyes became fixed on the contents of her glass.

"Oh." Elijah decided he would not cross-examine her. He did not feel like having another argument. At least he had an excuse to spend more time with Nadia.

"You can pick her up from school?" Katherine inquired.

"Yes." Elijah nodded.

"Okay. I will see you soon." Katherine smiled and walked over to him. Placing a hand on his chest, she pressed a lingering kiss on his cheek. When she pulled back, Elijah watched Katherine's eyes darken and she slipped her hand into his hair. "I should find a way to thank you." She smiled, running her hand down the back his neck and then she seemed to remember something. She took a step back and set the glass on the counter. "I'll let you get back to your book."

Elijah walked Katherine to the door and did not offer a "good-bye." He knew he would be seeing her again. Possibly sooner than he'd like. And with Hayley, he felt that whatever Katherine really wanted from him would just add undue drama to his life.

After closing the door on his ex-wife, Elijah moved to return to Sherlock when his phone began to dance around on the coffee table. Sighing, Elijah rubbed the bridge of his nose and moved to the table. He picked up the phone, noted who the caller was and hit answer. "Hello, Niklaus. What can I do for you?"

"It's Fiona," Klaus gasped.

"What about her?" Elijah felt his throat constrict. From the panicked tone in Klaus' voice, Elijah felt worry fill his nervous system, his heart accelerating and his blood pressure rising.

"Caroline's offered to allow me the day with my child. Today. It's last minute. Apparently she has some type of luncheon she needs to attend and has no one else to care for the child…" Klaus groaned. "I do not know what to do with a child on my own."

"Katherine's asked me to care for Nadia, after school. Bring Fiona here. We'll make it a playdate." Elijah eyed Sherlock and promised him another date, perhaps a decade from now.

"Thank you, Elijah. I truly do not know what I would do without you," Klaus replied.

"Right. See you soon." Elijah hung up and took a seat.

~0~

A knock on the door signaled Klaus' appearance. "Elijah. Fiona, you remember your uncle, Elijah?" Klaus asked the little girl who peered up at Elijah.

"Nope," Fiona said. She stared up at Elijah before she released Klaus' hand and stepped into the apartment. Her eyes moved around the room before she looked up at Elijah. "Toys?"

"I have a stuffed rabbit," Elijah told her.

Fiona placed her thumb in her mouth and looked to her father before she nodded.

Elijah walked down the hallway. Pulling open the doors of his closet, he removed a much-loved rabbit that he'd wrapped in bubble wrap and placed inside a box.

Coming back into the living room, Elijah noted that Klaus had turned on the TV to a children's program on PBS. The Thomas the Train series, if Elijah remembered correctly. Fiona sat on the floor, her thumb still in her mouth. She sucked at it while Klaus paced behind her. He did not seem to know whether to sit down with his daughter or to run from the apartment.

"Elijah," Klaus said, his relief palpable. He held his phone in his hand. "Should I order lunch? Or would you prefer to cook?"

Elijah stopped himself from saying he'd prefer to have the day to himself. "Order anything you like."

Klaus nodded and began to make a call. "Fiona, do you prefer Chinese or Thai?"

Fiona looked up from the TV program. Her wide eyes narrowed and she pulled her thumb out with popping sound. "Pizza," she replied.

Klaus looked disconcerted. "Love, we don't need to be eating pizza."

"I want pizza," Fiona snapped, her little mouth beginning to wobble. "I want my mommy!" she shouted at Klaus and then she began to cry. Pushing herself to her feet, she ran to the door and began to bang on it. "Mommy!" she screamed.

"Shit," Klaus muttered. His look of panic gave Elijah a moment's pause. Whether to comfort the child or his brother first?

With quick strides, Elijah moved to the door and picked up Fiona who screamed in his ear and kicked him in the stomach. "Darling, it's alright. Your mother will come back to collect you this evening. Don't you want to spend time with you daddy?" Turning Fiona to face him, Elijah stared into Fiona's watery eyes. "Your dad has been looking forward to spending time with you for a long time."

Well, this would be true if Klaus had known about Fi before. Klaus came to stand beside Elijah. "I'll get the pizza, Fiona," his soft tone made Fiona still.

"Sorry, daddy," Fiona said, rubbing at her raw eyelids.

Elijah held up the rabbit. "This is Mr. Stuffy. Would you like to play with him?"

"Mr. Stuffy?" Fiona examined the rabbit. "But he's a bunny. Why is he named Mr. Stuffy?"

"He was a little girl's toy. And she used to call him Mr. Stuffy because he only liked to drink tea and read very old books and spoke like someone from _Downton_ _Abbey_." Elijah watched Fiona's eyebrows wrinkle.

"What's _Downtown_ _Abby_?" Fiona asked him, taking the rabbit and hugging him. "He needs a bath."

"Yes. He probably does," Elijah said. Poor Mr. Stuffy had lived in that box too long. "We can give him one when his previous owner, Nadia, comes here."

"Who's Nadia?" Fiona asked, lips pursing around the new name. She smiled then and Elijah noted how much she looked like Klaus.

"Nadia is Elijah's daughter," Klaus said, ending his call with the pizza place.

"You have a daughter?" Fiona perked up and began to bounce on Elijah's hip. "When's she coming?"

"After school," Elijah told her.

"When's that?" Fiona retorted.

"Soon," Elijah said. He sat her down on the couch and turned his attention to the TV show.

Five minutes later Fiona looked at him. "Is Nadia coming soon?" He'd forgotten how little children understand time at this age.

"Yes," Elijah nodded.

Another five minutes passed and Fiona asked the same question. Klaus began to look through Elijah's DVD collection for something child appropriate. " _Harry_ _Potter_?"

"A bit too old for Fiona," Elijah surmised. He picked up his tea cup and took a sip. It was cold.

"Can I have some?" Fiona held out her hand for the tea cup.

"No," Elijah said. "I have orange juice, or milk?"

"No! I want that!" Fiona held out her hand for his tea cup.

"Oh, Elijah. What harm will it do?" Klaus came over and took the cup. He handed it to his daughter who took a sip. At the look of disgust on Fiona's face, Elijah felt happy that his niece would not take up that habit just yet.

"Ew!" Fiona wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Gross. O. J. Please!" she cried, standing up on the couch and sloshing tea on it.

"Be careful!" Klaus said, taking the cup.

Fiona gave him a stern look. " _Harry_ _Potter_!" she shouted.

"What?" Klaus looked to Elijah.

" _Harry_ _Potter_! And Nadia! And pizza!" Fiona yelled at them before she fell on her butt and crossed her arms over her chest.

Klaus looked at Elijah. "She's your child, Klaus." Elijah felt that perhaps his brother might be getting just deserts from his bad behavior.

Fiona began to bounce up and down on the couch. She came far too close to falling for Elijah's comfort. He would need to child-proof his apartment, again. The idea made him smile until Fiona leapt one more time, her left leg slipped off the couch and she let out a cry.

Without thinking, Elijah ran across the room and caught the child before her head could connect with his five hundred dollar coffee table. "Thanks, Uncle Elijah," Fiona said. She kissed him on the cheek, rolled off and took off for the kitchen.

"Niklaus." The best Elijah could do was to point at the kitchen. "Sharp knives. Very sharp. Electrical outlets. Wires… Oh, my back."

Closing his eyes, Elijah could hear the sounds of his brother's heavy footsteps as he followed Fiona into the kitchen. "No! Not the toaster!" Klaus shouted.

Fiona let out a wail and Klaus began to curse. Oh, yes, Caroline would be thrilled when Fiona let out with "damn it" for the first time.

The doorbell rang and Elijah forced himself into a sitting position. "I'll get it. Don't move, Elijah," Klaus said. He came out of the kitchen, Fiona jerking and shrieking under his arm. "If you do not calm yourself, I will send you to bed without pizza." Klaus gave his daughter a stern look and Fiona pouted up at him.

Opening the door, Klaus stood with his back to Elijah. The delivery boy looked from Klaus, to Fiona, and Elijah, who still sat on top of his coffee table. "Uh. That's $14.98," the boy said, scratching the back of his head.

Klaus turned to Elijah. "I may have forgotten to go to the ATM."

Rolling his eyes, Elijah nodded. "I'll get my wallet." He moved slowly out of the room and into his bedroom. He would need to take some Advil before picking up Nadia. His most fervent hope at this point was that Fiona's behavior did not affect Nadia.

~0~

"Daddy!" Nadia called, hurrying toward Elijah with a wide smile. "Uncle Nik!" she looked happy to see them both. "And is this Fiona?" She grinned down at Fiona who had fallen asleep on the ride there but woke as they pulled up to the school.

"Nadia!" Fiona cried, holding out her arms to the older girl.

"Hi!" Nadia took her cousin and smiled at her. "Mom didn't tell me you would be here."

"My mommy said that I had to be good for daddy. And he bought me a pizza," Fiona told Nadia. "And Uncle Elijah's going to let me watch _Harry_ _Potter_."

"I never said," Elijah began when Fiona gave him a look and he began to rub his temples. "Right then." It felt a lot like taking care of Kol. Speaking of Kol, perhaps his brother could join them. The worst that could happen would be that his brothers, his niece and his daughter burned down his apartment.

"Is there any pizza left?" Nadia asked on their way back to the car while Fiona played with Nadia's hair.

"Yes. But you'll need to remember to do your homework," Elijah told her, opening the backseat. He watched Nadia help Fiona into her car seat. He wondered how Nadia knew how to do that but thought better of asking. He truly did not want to know what his ex was up to.

Cell phone vibrating in his pocket, Elijah pulled it out and he saw Hayley's name on the display. "Niklaus, do you mind if I take a moment?"

Klaus looked up from his studying Nadia's buckling his daughter into her car seat. His brother looked disconcerted. "I'm sorry?"

"I have a call," Elijah said.

Klaus nodded. "Don't leave me alone too long, brother." He gave Elijah a queasy smile before slipping into the passenger seat.

Popping his head into the car, Elijah grinned at Klaus. "The wheels on the bus" might help. Fiona began to sing and Klaus took the hint as Nadia laughed and began to make driving motions.

Taking a few steps away from the car, Elijah answered the call. "Hello, Hayley. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought I'd see what you're doing after work. I'm thinking of buying a bottle of wine and stopping by your place. A nice, long bubble bath sounds good after the day I've been having." Hayley sounded stressed. Elijah could already feel her body lying against his, the warm water pooled around them and two glasses of Merlot on the floor of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry, Hayley. I have company at the moment," Elijah replied.

"Oh, well. That's okay. I'll just hang out with Marcel tonight. Unless he has plans." Hayley let out a light laugh.

Elijah glanced at the car full of people. "If you don't mind more company. You could stop by. I do have my hands full and could always use another set of hands."

"You want me to bring the wine?" Hayley waited for his answer.

Elijah thought about it. "Yes," he replied.

"I'll see you around nine," Hayley told him.

"Alright," Elijah hoped he and Klaus would manage to get though the evening until then.

~0~

"What's that?" Fiona asked, pointing at something that looked like some kind of monster and Elijah wondered if she was old enough to be watching this film.

"That's Lord Voldemort," Nadia said, clutching Fiona's hand. They were probably both up past their bedtimes. Caroline had called Klaus and asked how things were going. He'd told her that everything was going splendidly. Even Fiona agreed. So, Caroline was allowing Fiona to stay over. Elijah did not know if he could handle the girls and his brother, all night long.

When the doorbell rang at nine fifteen, Elijah got up and checked before opening the door. "Hayley." He'd forgotten she was dropping by.

"Hi," Hayley said. She slipped into the apartment. "Who am I going to be hanging out with?"

"Hayley!" Fiona shouted, coming around the corner and holding out her arms.

"Hayley?" Klaus looked confused.

"Why is she here?" Nadia asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Nadia," Elijah's reprimand made Nadia look to her feet.

"Sorry," Nadia mumbled before she walked back to the couch.

Klaus looked at Elijah. "If I had known you would be having an evening caller, I would have taken Fiona to Rebekah's."

"Rebekah has to work today," Hayley said, picking Fiona up. "Hey, pumpkin. What are we doing?"

"Watching _Harry_ _Potter_!" Fiona replied with glee.

Hayley looked from Elijah to Klaus. "You guys really need help, don't you?"

"Yes," Klaus admitted.

"Who has brushed their teeth?" Hayley called out.

Nadia continued to watch the TV. "Not me."

"Okay. Teeth brushing. PJ wearing. And story time. Then bed." Hayley carried Fiona toward the bathroom.

"Why does she know where the bathroom is?" Nadia gave Elijah an accusatory look.

"Did you mother not teach you not to pry into adults' affairs?" Klaus inquired, taking the bottle of wine Hayley brought from Elijah.

"Klaus," Elijah growled.

Klaus glanced back at his brother. "I'll mind my own business while I make myself a drink. It's been a long day."

"Yes. It has," Elijah said. He took a seat beside Nadia who pretended to watch the TV. "Are you angry that another woman and I spend time together?"

"No." Nadia shook her head. "I just thought…"

"What?" Elijah turned to face Nadia.

Nadia turned to face him. "If you're spending time with her," she waved a hand at the direction of the bathroom. "Then you and mom might not get back together and we'll never be a family again. Don't you want to come home?"

Closing his eyes, Elijah felt his heart breaking all over again. There was a time that he would have done anything to have Katherine and Nadia back. Opening his eyes, Elijah placed a hand on Nadia's cheek. "Your mother and I are not going to get back together. But you will always by my daughter, Nadia."

"Not if mom takes me away," Nadia cried out and then she ran back to the bedrooms. Elijah heard the sound of a door slamming and he knew he would not see her until the morning. Hopefully she would have forgiven him by then.

 **Thank you reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **Mia: Thank you! After watching the series finale, I didn't hate it, but I felt like there a number of moments that they missed where they could have paid tribute to characters or stories from previous seasons, like Haylijah. Well, this is why we have FF.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my lovely readers. This one has a little bit of a Christmas flavor to it. On with the show…**

Chapter 11: Holidays Bring Out the Best in People

Strains of "Jingle Bell Rock" still rang in Hayley Marshall's ears on her way into the lobby of Mikaelson and Gerard. She waved to Cami who had donned an evergreen blouse as a nod to the up-coming holiday. And that was the only acknowledgement of any kind of holiday. Classical music played in the elevator. The halls were bare. Hayley did not know what she expected.

Moving down the hallway, Hayley stopped at her door and removed her key to unlock it when a low hum came from behind her. "Yes?" She turned to find Marcel. "What?"

Marcel leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Pointing over her head, he began to chuckle as Hayley eyed the mistletoe above her head. "Holiday joke, honey."

"Thanks," Hayley sighed, pushing her door open with her rear and entering the gloomy office. "Think Mikael would flip if I added a little, Charlie Brown tree?"

Marcel closed the door behind him. "I tried adding lights, my first year and lost two of my first cases to some kid who went to state school. My dad's a real…" Shaking his head, Marcel rolled his eyes. "Let's not get into what my dad is today." Clapping his hands together, he moved to sit on the edge of her desk as Hayley took her place behind it. "Why don't you tell me about your plans for the weekend?"

"Oh?" Hayley's fingers clicked the keys of her keyboard, her eyes moving over new e-mails. "Umm…"

"No plans?" Marcel leaned closer with a grin that said he had a few things in mind.

"I…" Hayley did not know what to say. She and Elijah had yet to discuss whether they would be spending time together. Since they were supposed to be keeping things casual, the possibility of spending time together—right before Christmas—pushed the casual relationship into a new definition, one she did not feel comfortable with.

"Come on, Hales. Fess up. If you've got plans, it's cool," Marcel's tone was teasing, but Hayley still did not want to divulge the truth. "Secrets always come out in the end."

An image of Celeste Du Bois with Marcel's father flashed through Hayley's conscious mind and she gulped. "Yes, they do." Looking at Marcel, Hayley decided to turn the table one time. "What about you, Marcel? Do you have any special plans with a certain blonde colleague?" Smirking up at him, Hayley crossed her arms over her chest and slid back in her seat.

Marcel huffed. "Sure. If you call hanging out in my apartment for a couple of hours 'special.'"

"Couple of hours?" Hayley shook her head. "It's progress."

"No. It isn't. Not when I can't be seen in public with her. Not when I can't kiss her in front of the whole damned world. Not when I can't say the words: Rebekah Mikaelson, my future wife." Marcel got to his feet and began to pace, his hand running over his mouth and his eyes dark from his irritation.

Hayley closed her e-mail and got to her feet. "Marcel, just shut her down. Okay? Tell her it's either all or nothing. Don't accept whatever scraps someone wants to give you."

Marcel stopped. "What if I'd rather have some of her than nothing at all?"

"Then that's your decision. And you'll have to live with it," Hayley said. "Now, if you will excuse me. I have real work to do." Shooing Marcel out of her office, Hayley closed the door and locked it behind him. She returned to her desk with every intention of getting some real work done.

~0~

Spending the next four hours sifting through information on prior custody battles and how many times the father actually won the case; Hayley found herself day-dreaming about being in bed with Elijah. _Bad, Hayley,_ she admonished herself. She seriously needed to get it together. Caroline and Klaus would be sitting down in front of a judge. Soon. Hayley needed to be one hundred and fifty percent on her game for her friend.

Sighing, Hayley returned to a case in Champaign, IL where the father had been rewarded custody on a technicality. Hayley focused on the details of what the technicality was when a sharp knock on her door sounded.

Feeling annoyed with the sudden interruption, Hayley got to her feet and walked to the door. Opening it, Hayley sighed. "Yes, Aurora?"

"Hi!" Aurora chirped, a huge smile on her face. "Mr. Mikaelson wanted me to deliver this to you, Hayley." She held out a crisp, cream envelope with the official seal of the Mikaelson family on it.

Taking the envelope, Hayley forced a smile. "Thanks for this." She started to turn and close the door when Aurora spoke up.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Aurora cried and Hayley turned on her heel to frown at her assistant. "It's an invite to the family's Christmas party," Aurora whispered with glee.

"And you know this… How?" Hayley leaned against her door, consulting the envelope. She was a little shocked that she would warrant an invite.

Aurora was still smiling as she explained, "Oh, it's a tradition to invite the partners and anyone with potential to make partner to the party. It's more of a networking event than a real holiday celebration."

"Have you been to one?" Hayley asked, her eyes on the envelope.

"Oh, yes. My brother, Tristan is a client. They're also invited. You'll probably meet my brother there as well. He's such a sweetheart." Aurora blinked and pulled out her phone which had begun to chime. "Sorry. I've got to go. Lunch with friends. Bye." Without another word, Aurora disappeared back down the hallway.

Shaking her head, Hayley closed her door and moved across the hall. Tapping on the door of Marcel's office, Hayley waited. He might have already headed to lunch.

When Marcel opened the door, Hayley waved her invite in his face. "Is this why you were asking about my plans for the weekend?" she demanded.

Marcel's eyebrows shot upward. "So, you got one?" He did not look all that pleased.

"You didn't?" Hayley caught herself too late.

Shrugging, Marcel strode back to his desk and picked up a matching cream envelope. "Actually, I did. But this." He threw the envelope back down, with a look of disdain. "Is not what it looks like. This is my dad trying to pretend that he gives damn about me." Marcel shook her head. "Truth is. He doesn't give a damned about me. And the likelihood that I'm going to make partner here, is over his dead body."

"Marcel…" Hayley having no idea what to say in return, moved over to place a hand on Marcel's shoulder. "Sometimes parents suck."

"Want to make that into a greeting card, Marshall?" Marcel nudged her and Hayley laughed as he threw an arm around her. "At least I have good friends."

"You do that," Hayley said. "Now, you're good friend needs to be an equally good lawyer and get back to work." Getting to her feet, Hayley grinned. "So, are you going with me to this party?"

"I thought I'd ask Aurora." Marcel's eyes lit up when Hayley mock glared at him. "I'm kidding. You know you're my favorite date."

"I'd better be," Hayley retorted. "Wear something to make Rebekah drool."

"You, too," Marcel called as Hayley exited his office.

~0~

Adjusting the strap of a red ball gown; Hayley felt overdressed. Maybe she should have just worn a paper sack. It's not like she had been looking forward to coming to this event anyway.

"Hayley," Mikael said, holding out a hand and Hayley forced another smile for one of her two senior bosses. "How nice to see you again."

Hayley did not have time to respond when Esther Mikaelson appeared at her husband's side. "Hayley, how nice to see you again." The woman looked like one of those spreads in In Style, hair in perfect curls falling around her shoulders and a green gown that complemented the decorations, but not in a way that said matchy-matchy.

"It's nice to see you, too, Mrs. Mikaelson," Hayley replied. Unfortunately for Hayley all of her social niceties dried up on her tongue when she noted Elijah Mikaelson, and Elijah's date. Jaw tightening, Hayley thought she would scream.

"Something wrong, dear?" Esther inquired, still playing the perfect hostess as she turned to spot Elijah and Celeste Du Bois. "Oh, Elijah. There you are. Look who came to the party." Esther turned to stand between Elijah and Hayley. "You know Ms. Marshall and Mr. Gerard's son, Marcel."

"Yes. We've met a time or two." Elijah's eyes moved from Hayley to Marcel. And Hayley could not read him. The last time they'd been together, she's stayed the night with him, and his daughter, Nadia. After sensing some tension between the father and daughter, Hayley made an excuse and left in the early morning.

"I hear that Hayley is going to be winning a certain custody case," Mikael added, his eyes gleaming.

Esther gave her husband a sour look. "Mikael, not today."

"Sorry, my dear." Mikael's smile did little to convince anyone in the group that he was sorry. However, he did slip his hand into his wife's and led her away.

Marcel broke the silence, leaning in between Hayley and Elijah, a wide smile on his face. "That was awkward."

"Yes. It was," Celeste remarked. She looked bored. Snatching a champagne flute off a passing tray, she looked at Elijah. "If you will excuse me, I have to mingle. I promise not to be too long, cherie." Without another word, the woman smoothly slid through the group of people cloistered close to the name partners. Her gold dress clung to her and Hayley felt like a sack of potatoes. Well, at least Hayley was not lacking in moral fortitude, sort of.

When the silence descended, again, Marcel glanced from Hayley, to Elijah and then let out a long whistle. "Okay. This is more awkward then taking a Christmas pic with my dad." He pressed a quick kiss to Hayley's cheek. "I will find you later." With that, Marcel ducked into the throes of the lion's den.

After a long moment of contemplating her shoes, Hayley looked at Elijah as "Silent Night" played in the background. "You brought a date."

"I did. And you did as well," Elijah nodded at Marcel who had begun a conversation with Kol Mikaelson, avoiding Rebekah who looked radiant and was chatting up a rising star in their firm. Her back was turned to Marcel but Hayley knew they were aware of each other.

"A friend-date," Hayley snapped. "Unlike… What she is." Her last words were muttered. She sounded like a jealous high school girl. Stupid. Pathetic. Hayley hated herself in that moment. The only person she hated more was Celeste.

"My attending tonight's event with Celeste has nothing more to do with romance than Rebekah's date with that young man there." Elijah nodded at Rebekah who smiled and waved to them. "We bumped into each other in the lobby of Mikaelson and Gerard. I had come to pick up Rebekah for a lunch date and Celeste asked me if I would be coming here. When I said 'Yes,' she asked me if I would do her a favor and be her date. These things are hard to bear without company."

"Yes. And I can see that she was soooo looking forward to your company," Hayley heard the sarcasm in her tone and blushed.

Elijah chuckled. His eyes drifted to Celeste who had integrated herself into a conversation between a group of third-year associates. "You can't blame her for her ambition." His gaze moved back to land on Hayley and she felt like a submarine might not carry as much weight as this one look. He was challenging her, she knew it.

Thankfully, someone decided to interrupt them. "Brother!" Klaus' voice broke some of the tension.

Turning to face Klaus, Elijah looked shocked. "Klaus, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I thought I would see what the fuss about these parties was all about. Seeing as I have only attended a few, back when I was allowed in the front door without an argument ensuing." Grinning, Klaus turned to spot his parents. "Ah, there are a happy host and hostess. Shall I give them my season greetings?"

Pulling out a bottle, Klaus took a long gulp while other people began to stare at them. "Niklaus, calm yourself," Elijah hissed between his teeth. Taking Klaus by the arm, Elijah tried to direct Klaus out of the room when Klaus jerked away. Klaus stumbled a couple of a feet, ran into a table by the wall closest to them, and let out a loud laugh.

"Silent Night" stopped and Klaus' eyes narrowed. "Mother! Father! A word if you will!" Forcing himself into a standing position, Klaus smoothed his hair with one hand, the bottle still clutched in the other. "I have some news for you. I thought you would be delighted to hear, Father!"

Mikael turned to glare at Klaus. Esther's eyes swept over her guests before she turned to march over to Klaus. "Niklaus, please, go to your room. We will be up shortly and then we might discuss this in private."

"My room?" Klaus scoffed. "My room? What am I, a five-year-old? Sent off to his room without his dinner? Have I shamed you in front of those who work beneath you, earning you your lifestyle?" He waved a hand at the room. "Worried that you will not be able to afford next year's caviar and champagne?"

"Enough, Niklaus!" Mikael snarled. "I want you out of my house before I throw you out!"

"You will not touch him!" Elijah snapped, moving in front of Klaus.

"Oh, brother. I can fight my own battles. So, do, put down your sword." Klaus shook his head, a smile on his face but Hayley did not think there was anything to smile about here.

"I came to tell you all that you needn't worry about my sullying your name or your life anymore," Klaus growled out. "I have decided to return to my work. Back to the front lines. Perhaps you will receive word of me, one day, and you might even spare a few tears for the fool." He snarled into Mikael's face before pushing away from the side table and banging into Mikael's shoulder on his way toward the front door. "With that, I say 'Adieu.'" Bowing, Klaus turned and stomped out.

"He does know how to make an entrance and an exit," Aurora said with a giggle. "Hayley, I would like to introduce my brother, Tristan De Martel."

Confused, Hayley turned to Aurora's brother. "I have heard such lovely things about you, Ms. Marshall. Hayley, if I may." Tristan took Hayley's hand and kissed the back of it.

With a frown, Hayley looked to the entrance where Elijah had disappeared through second ago. "Umm. Nice to meet you. If you'll excuse me…" Hayley gathered the bottom of her gown and headed for the exit. She could hear other guests murmuring, including the remaining Mikaelson siblings who were debating the merits of helping Elijah deal with a drunken Klaus. It seemed to be this was one of their holiday traditions if Rebekah and Kol were to be believed.

The moment Hayley left the Mikaelons' home, she felt a whip of cold Chicago wind tear through her gown and go up her bare arms. Shivering, she tuned her ears to the sounds of Elijah and Klaus arguing. They could not have gotten too far. "Where are you?" she muttered under her breath.

"Looking for my brothers?" Kol's voice came in Hayley's ear and she jumped.

"Yup," Hayley answered, giving Kol a look over her shoulder.

Kol's eyes were peering through the grounds of the home. "Back there. They used to hide from me. Always with their secret chats about things only 'older boys were to know of.' I used to spy on them, quite regularly in fact."

Rebekah joined them. "Well, have you found them?"

"This way," Kol said, waving a hand and easing across the snow covered lawn.

Feeling the icy coldness of the snow—biting through the tops of her high heels—Hayley wished she'd worn boots. To hell with fashion's dictates. Frostbite was not cute either.

"Where is Freya? And Finn?" Rebekah whispered to Kol, her eyes on the small structure by the house.

"What is this?" Hayley whispered to the siblings.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "It's a toll booth," she replied with a smirk. "Mother and Father think that coming to see them is like crossing states. You must pay the toll." She let out a quiet laugh.

Hayley rolled her eyes. "People with money," she muttered.

"What?" Rebekah gasped, mock insulted.

"Used to be for security." Kol's eyes were on the booth in front of them. "'Til Bekah got caught up with one of the guards. Don't ever hire local boys to do a man's work."

"Kol, shut it!" Rebekah hissed.

Inside the booth, Hayley could hear Elijah and Klaus arguing. Stomping over to the booth's door; Rebekah jerked it open. "Time to come out, boys. Or we're coming in." With a hand on her hip, Rebekah showed why she was quite formidable with a court room.

Elijah came out first, followed by Klaus who had either lost his bottle or finished it off. "I was just leaving," Klaus began when Kol placed a hand on his chest.

"Not 'til you spill your bloody guts to us," Rebekah snapped. "What has you in the midst of an existential crisis, this time?"

Klaus folded his arms over his chest. "What makes you think I care for your opinion, darling sister?" His smirk gave the impression that he did not care. But Hayley suspected that he was faking.

"Klaus, what's going on?" Hayley said.

Eyes flashing, Klaus sneered at her. "As if you do not already know. I'm sure that Father was already planning a party in your honor for your first win."

"Huh?" Hayley still felt confused.

"According to Niklaus, Caroline and Tyler Lockwood are going to spend Christmas in Las Vegas. And from there they will leave for Milan, for their honeymoon." Elijah allowed the words to sink in before continuing. "Tyler Lockwood made a call, to inform Niklaus of the 'happy news.' Lockwood also intends on filing for adoption of Fiona."

"What? He can't do that!" Rebekah cried out.

"Where is his address? I have a fist his mouth can adopt," Kol snapped, his eyes glittering with malice. "Or perhaps my favorite bat will do the trick."

"Rebekah. Kol. Calm yourselves," Elijah said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "This is not up to us. This was a decision that Caroline had chosen to make about her life and it is not our right to impose our own thoughts upon her; however unfortunate her timing is."

Klaus let out a growl. "Yes, brother, unfortunate timing is all that matters. Well, if you'll excuse me. I have bags to pack." He started to walk away when Elijah grabbed him by the shoulders and Klaus' gaze darkened. Let go of me, Elijah."

"I will. In due time," Elijah retorted. "Tonight you will stay with me. Tomorrow, you can stay with Kol."

"Why me?" Kol whined. Elijah gave Kol a look and Kol shut his mouth. "Right."

"You will stay here, until I have had a chance to talk to Caroline," Elijah said.

"Oh, you will have a hard time doing that, since she and Tyler are boarding a flight tonight," Klaus snapped. "I should have gone to the airport and given them an early Christmas present." Grumbling, Klaus lowered his head and Hayley could see just how upset he really was.

"Then you've got to hurry," Rebekah said, looking to Elijah. "Kol and I can handle Nik for one night. Can't we?" Kol grinned and Klaus shuddered.

Setting off, Elijah moved across the lawn when Hayley hurried after him. "Yes?"

"She's my client. If anyone's talking sense into her; it's me," Hayley stated. Elijah nodded. By this time tomorrow, either Caroline would be at home, with Fi, or Hayley would be a maid of honor. Hayley hoped, for Caroline's sake, that her Caroline was making the right choice for herself and for Fiona. And that Klaus did not follow them.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **Anna: I hope the wait wasn't too long.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


End file.
